war power

noun

: the power to make war

specifically : an extraordinary power exercised usually by the executive branch of a government in the prosecution of a war

Examples of war power in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Across more than a dozen votes forced by Democrats to rein in the president's war powers, the vast majority of the GOP conference has remained united in opposition, granting the president wide deference in steering the conflict. — Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026

Massie’s Hegseth resolution, among other allegations, lays out charges of violating Congress’ war powers and carrying out extrajudicial killings. — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2026

And in the race for Michigan governor, Democrat Jocelyn Benson, Michigan’s secretary of state, sought to tie Republican John James to Trump’s tariff agenda and for voting against the Iran war powers resolutions. — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2026

First created in the aftermath of the Vietnam War as a way to hold a president accountable for military actions, the war powers act has long posed a test of the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches of government. — Lisa Mascaro, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1766, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for war power

• airpower
• brainpower
• devour
• empower
• firepower
• horsepower
• manpower
• mayflower
• safflower
• sunflower
• wallflower
• watchtower