’Whatever’ replaces the old English ‘whate’er.’
Rusk used this image to compare Lyndon Johnson’s control over the White House staff to Ronald Reagan’s delegation of power.
come on like gangbusters To burst upon the scene with noisy exuberance; to come on with great power or force; to be officious or overbearing at first meeting. This expression derives from the blaring sound effects that opened a 1936 radio program called Gangbusters. These included the sounds of marching feet, machine-gun fire, and a screaming siren.
money talks Wealth means power; almost anything can be secured with money. This expression alludes to the way money and its procurement direct one’s life, as well as to the automatic respect and deference given to the wealthy by the less affluent.
the powers that be The authorities; a group or individual exercising complete control and having the power to make decisions affecting large numbers of people. This phrase is Biblical in origin.
For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. (Romans 13:1)
It is implied that “the powers that be” are impersonal and inaccessible.
pull rank To make use of one’s higher status in order to obtain a desired objective. This expression originated in the armed forces, where one of subordinate rank must comply absolutely with the orders of a superior. The term is now also applied to civilians, particularly in describing certain employeremployee interactions. In either case, the expression usually suggests the unexpected or unfair use of authority in resolving a dilemma or in demanding submission.
throw one’s weight around To exert one’s influence inappropriately or unfairly, to pull strings; to lord it over subordinates, to pull rank. Weight, meaning ‘power or influence,’ probably derives from the advantage of added pounds or extra weight in contact sports.
If someone has power, they are able to control other people and their activities.
Don't use 'power' to refer to someone's physical energy, or their ability to move heavy objects. Use strength.
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Noun | 1. | ![]() quality - an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone; "the quality of mercy is not strained"--Shakespeare effectiveness, potency, strength - capacity to produce strong physiological or chemical effects; "the toxin's potency"; "the strength of the drinks" valence, valency - (chemistry) a property of atoms or radicals; their combining power given in terms of the number of hydrogen atoms (or the equivalent) valence, valency - (biology) a relative capacity to unite or react or interact as with antigens or a biological substrate preponderance - superiority in power or influence; "the preponderance of good over evil"; "the preponderance of wealth and power" puissance - power to influence or coerce; "the puissance of the labor vote" persuasiveness, strength - the power to induce the taking of a course of action or the embracing of a point of view by means of argument or entreaty; "the strength of his argument settled the matter" irresistibility, irresistibleness - the quality of being overpowering and impossible to resist interestingness, interest - the power of attracting or holding one's attention (because it is unusual or exciting etc.); "they said nothing of great interest"; "primary colors can add interest to a room" chokehold, stranglehold, throttlehold - complete power over a person or situation; "corporations have a stranglehold on the media"; "the president applied a chokehold to labor disputes that inconvenienced the public" sway - controlling influence influence - a power to affect persons or events especially power based on prestige etc; "used her parents' influence to get the job" control - power to direct or determine; "under control" jurisdiction, legal power - (law) the right and power to interpret and apply the law; "courts having jurisdiction in this district" disposal - the power to use something or someone; "used all the resources at his disposal" free will, discretion - the power of making free choices unconstrained by external agencies veto - the power or right to prohibit or reject a proposed or intended act (especially the power of a chief executive to reject a bill passed by the legislature) effectiveness, effectivity, effectuality, effectualness - power to be effective; the quality of being able to bring about an effect impotence, impotency, powerlessness - the quality of lacking strength or power; being weak and feeble |
2. | power - (physics) the rate of doing work; measured in watts (= joules/second) natural philosophy, physics - the science of matter and energy and their interactions; "his favorite subject was physics" physical phenomenon - a natural phenomenon involving the physical properties of matter and energy waterpower - the power to do work that is latent in a head of water | |
3. | ![]() know-how - the (technical) knowledge and skill required to do something leadership - the ability to lead; "he believed that leadership can be taught" intelligence - the ability to comprehend; to understand and profit from experience aptitude - inherent ability bilingualism - the ability to speak two languages colloquially mental ability, capacity - the power to learn or retain knowledge; in law, the ability to understand the facts and significance of your behavior originality - the ability to think and act independently science, skill - ability to produce solutions in some problem domain; "the skill of a well-trained boxer"; "the sweet science of pugilism" acquirement, skill, accomplishment, attainment, acquisition - an ability that has been acquired by training hand - ability; "he wanted to try his hand at singing" superior skill - more than ordinary ability | |
4. | power - (of a government or government official) holding an office means being in power; "being in office already gives a candidate a great advantage"; "during his first year in office"; "during his first year in power"; "the power of the president" state - the way something is with respect to its main attributes; "the current state of knowledge"; "his state of health"; "in a weak financial state" governing, government activity, government, governance, administration - the act of governing; exercising authority; "regulations for the governing of state prisons"; "he had considerable experience of government" executive clemency - the power (usually of a president or governor) to pardon or commute the sentence of someone convicted in that jurisdiction war power - an extraordinary power exercised (usually by the executive branch) in the prosecution of a war and involving an extension of the powers that the government normally has in peacetime | |
5. | power - one possessing or exercising power or influence or authority; "the mysterious presence of an evil power"; "may the force be with you"; "the forces of evil" causal agency, causal agent, cause - any entity that produces an effect or is responsible for events or results juggernaut, steamroller - a massive inexorable force that seems to crush everything in its way influence - one having power to influence another; "she was the most important influence in my life"; "he was a bad influence on the children" Moloch - a tyrannical power to be propitiated by human subservience or sacrifice; "the great Moloch of war"; "duty has become the Moloch of modern life"- Norman Douglas | |
6. | power - a mathematical notation indicating the number of times a quantity is multiplied by itself degree - the highest power of a term or variable mathematical notation - a notation used by mathematicians | |
7. | ![]() strength - the property of being physically or mentally strong; "fatigue sapped his strength" | |
8. | ![]() body politic, country, nation, res publica, commonwealth, state, land - a politically organized body of people under a single government; "the state has elected a new president"; "African nations"; "students who had come to the nation's capitol"; "the country's largest manufacturer"; "an industrialized land" hegemon - a leading or paramount power | |
9. | ![]() businessman, man of affairs - a person engaged in commercial or industrial business (especially an owner or executive) oil tycoon - a powerful person in the oil business | |
Verb | 1. | power - supply the force or power for the functioning of; "The gasoline powers the engines" drive - cause to function by supplying the force or power for or by controlling; "The amplifier drives the tube"; "steam drives the engines"; "this device drives the disks for the computer" |