power play

noun

1
: a military, diplomatic, political, or administrative maneuver in which power is brought to bear
2
a
: a concentrated attack in football in which the ballcarrier is preceded by a mass of blockers
b
: a situation in ice hockey in which one team temporarily has more players on the ice than the other team because of a penalty

Examples of power play in a Sentence

They scored their first goal on a power play. He made a power play to seize control of the company.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
His vision to find Vilardi on the power play — and his tenacity to get that puck on net — got Winnipeg out to an early lead. Murat Ates, New York Times, 10 May 2025 Toronto scored on its third power play, with forward Max Pacioretty scoring late in the first period after Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov was called for a delay of game after shooting a puck out of play. Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 8 May 2025 Florida winning special teams — and has an early lead The Panthers are 2 for 2 on the penalty kill and then opened scoring five seconds into their first power play opportunity on a strike from captain Aleksander Barkov. Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 8 May 2025 Hudson tried a power play that didn’t work out in her favor, according to Page Six. Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 2 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for power play

Word History

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of power play was in 1947

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Power play.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/power%20play. Accessed 15 May. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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