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

The Kings also had inept special teams, ranking 28th in the NHL on the power play and 30th in penalty-killing. —Greg Beacham, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2026

In particular, the Golden Knights excelled at denying Utah on the power play. —ABC News, 2 May 2026

Meanwhile at the other end, Swayman (22 saves) kept the B’s in the game with several high-end saves in the second, including a couple of Buffalo’s power play in the second. —Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 2 May 2026

Minnesota had the third-best power play in the NHL this season, right behind Dallas. —Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 2 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for power play

• aaa
• adonais
• alleyway
• alumnae
• anime
• anyway
• arete
• attache
• baa
• beaujolais
• bouvier
• breakaway