How to Use powerless in a Sentence

powerless

adjective
  • I wish I could help you, but I am powerless in this situation.
  • White House aides concede that the loss of the House in the midterms has left Biden powerless.
    Dallas News, 15 Jan. 2023
  • The team is as powerless to change what’s coming as the fanbase held hostage for the ride.
    Robert Charles, Chron, 21 Apr. 2021
  • That’s how good Taylor was, and how powerless the Browns looked to stop him.
    Mary Kay Cabot, cleveland, 20 Sep. 2021
  • At that point, the Dali was drifting, powerless, toward the bridge at a speed of about 8 knots.
    Rich Schapiro, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
  • Congress, the court said, was powerless to change that.
    Adam Liptak, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2019
  • Wanda, powerless against her, has no choice but to go along for the ride.
    Erik Kain, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2021
  • But through it all, Holmes may well have been powerless.
    Washington Post, 8 Dec. 2021
  • But the decision left the pumps powerless to move water through the pipes.
    Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 8 Dec. 2023
  • Then, suddenly, a puff of smoke appeared from the back of the No. 10 Honda and the powerless car rolled to a stop.
    Michael Marot, ajc, 14 Aug. 2021
  • Doomguy is the perfect avatar for those who feel powerless.
    Matthew Gault, Time, 19 Mar. 2020
  • At the end of Season 3, Eleven was left powerless and couldn't even move a small object with her mind.
    Amy MacKelden, Harper's BAZAAR, 21 July 2019
  • This season’s spread attack is off the field, of course, and all the coaches are powerless against it.
    Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 13 Nov. 2020
  • The system has been designed to keep us powerless, but that ends now.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Feb. 2025
  • This is a reality that the board and Dr. Pollio are powerless to change in the near term.
    Krista Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 9 May 2024
  • This is a reality that the board and Dr. Pollio are powerless to change in the near term.
    Krista Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 8 May 2024
  • The mightiest soldiers in the world would be powerless if the world ceased to exist.
    New York Times, 25 Feb. 2021
  • Even so, Smith urges people not to feel powerless based on the study results.
    Erica Tennenhouse, National Geographic, 23 Dec. 2019
  • Deep in the minority in the Senate and House, Democrats were powerless to stop it.
    Dallas News, 30 May 2021
  • The sheer magnitude of the crisis is hard to take in, and Shire knows just how fast a person can feel powerless.
    Mattie Kahn, Glamour, 8 Mar. 2019
  • But a powerless display sitting idly in a room does not rise to such a level.
    Matthew Malec, National Review, 27 Dec. 2023
  • The best ending for Cersei’s character arc is to make her live alone and powerless for the rest of her life.
    Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, 30 Apr. 2019
  • Which is why central banks are powerless over where dollars go and in what amount.
    John Tamny, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2025
  • Even the most law-abiding driver is powerless against its charms.
    Tony Quiroga, Car and Driver, 6 Feb. 2023
  • The victim's sister watched part of the attack unfold but was powerless to stop it.
    Esha Mitra, CNN, 4 Feb. 2022
  • As a result, your reports may feel powerless and stressed, shut down and keep their ideas to themselves.
    Kathleen Shanley, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
  • Emry said the lack of restrictions has left the state powerless to control the deadly virus.
    Lucy Kafanov, CNN, 17 Nov. 2020
  • Their poor parents are powerless to stop the crying, yelling and screaming.
    Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, 5 Mar. 2019
  • But even the most powerful gay [person] in Qatar is powerless in some ways.
    Charlie Campbell, Time, 16 Nov. 2022
  • But the lack of consistent messaging has left many everyday Democrats across the country feeling angry and powerless, the New York Times reported over the weekend.
    Jessica Boehm, Axios, 25 Feb. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'powerless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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