the powers that be
idiom
: the people who decide what is allowed or acceptable in a group, organization, etc.
The students wanted to have a big party, but the powers that be didn't approve.
Examples of the powers that be in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Not for the powers that be — or for the working-class people who covet the mushroom as a way to get rich, too.
—
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2025
What the powers that be would say is: What’s the difference between this and tennis?
—Jayson Stark, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
Shakur Stevenson Gets a New Opponent Floyd Schofield Jr. is out with an illness, and the powers that be moved quickly to find a replacement.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
Cupp has to sit down with everyone, sort through their stories, separate fact from fiction, conduct her own research, and avoid getting boxed out of the investigation by the powers that be (who rush her, doubt her, and generally get in the way of things).
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the powers that be
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Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2025
What the powers that be would say is: What’s the difference between this and tennis?
—Jayson Stark, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
Shakur Stevenson Gets a New Opponent Floyd Schofield Jr. is out with an illness, and the powers that be moved quickly to find a replacement.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025
Cupp has to sit down with everyone, sort through their stories, separate fact from fiction, conduct her own research, and avoid getting boxed out of the investigation by the powers that be (who rush her, doubt her, and generally get in the way of things).
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the powers that be
Cite this Entry
“The powers that be.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20powers%20that%20be. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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