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
Batherson, a defender, scored her first career goal and knotted the game at 2-all four minutes into the final period on a power play — with another assist from Pannek and one from Kendall Cooper — her third.
—
CBS News, 22 Dec. 2025
Minnesota got its second power play of the night midway through the middle frame when Hartman took a cross check to the face.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 22 Dec. 2025
The clip, coming on the heels of last month’s teaser, positions Harper on a collision course with Yasmin (Marisa Abela), as the two frenemies find themselves on opposite aisles of power plays and psychosexual mind games.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 22 Dec. 2025
The Kraken have gone 2-9-0 in their past 11 games, putting up the league’s second-worst penalty kill percentage (and most porous defense) during that time, while the Ducks have simultaneously had the NHL’s second-worst power play.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for power play
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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CBS News, 22 Dec. 2025
Minnesota got its second power play of the night midway through the middle frame when Hartman took a cross check to the face.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 22 Dec. 2025
The clip, coming on the heels of last month’s teaser, positions Harper on a collision course with Yasmin (Marisa Abela), as the two frenemies find themselves on opposite aisles of power plays and psychosexual mind games.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 22 Dec. 2025
The Kraken have gone 2-9-0 in their past 11 games, putting up the league’s second-worst penalty kill percentage (and most porous defense) during that time, while the Ducks have simultaneously had the NHL’s second-worst power play.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for power play
Cite this Entry
“Power play.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/power%20play. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
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