residual power

noun

: power held to remain at the disposal of a governmental authority after an enumeration or delegation of specified powers to other authorities

Examples of residual power in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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In an effort to avoid static electricity or residual power, crews placed clamps or cables on wires, Goldstein shared, adding that rescuers also had to deal with foggy weather conditions. Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 28 Nov. 2022 Given how much residual power Russia will retain, some Ukrainian objectives, even major ones, will have to be deferred. Gideon Rose, Foreign Affairs, 14 Oct. 2022 Crucially, the feature will work on residual power, allowing operation for five hours after the iPhone’s battery is too low to perform other functions. Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 27 June 2020 To varying degrees, those businesses and others still trade on the residual power of their founders’ personality and vision. New York Times, 6 June 2018 Clack’s 2016 projections relied mostly on flexible natural gas power plants rather than dams or batteries to handle residual power demand—delivering a 78 percent reduction of power sector carbon emissions from 1990 levels by 2030. IEEE Spectrum, 19 June 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of residual power was in 1919

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Cite this Entry

“Residual power.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/residual%20power. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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