firepower

noun

fire·​pow·​er ˈfī(-ə)r-ˌpau̇(-ə)r 

1

a

: the capacity (as of a military unit) to deliver effective fire on a target

b

: effective fire

2

a

: effective power or force

intellectual firepower

b

: the scoring ability of a team or player

Synonyms of firepower

• power
• strength
• energy
• capability
• muscle
• capacity

Examples of firepower in a Sentence

The army didn't have the firepower to defeat the invaders.

right now the President doesn't have the political firepower to push his programs through Congress

Recent Examples on the Web

NBC‘s upcoming drama series Line of Fire is bringing the star firepower of Peter Krause and Hope Davis to TV beginning September 21. — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 10 Aug. 2026

American healthcare is the clearest case, because no sector has more data or more analytical firepower per dollar of output. — Dr. Aditya Vikram Kashyap, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

By combining political backing and financial firepower, Washington and Tokyo sought to raise the cost of betting against the yen by putting two sovereign balance sheets on the other side of the trade. — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2026

The Tigers lost a lot of firepower from a year ago, but transfers have eased the pain of reloading. — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for firepower

• candlepower
• cauliflower
• overpower
• superpower
• vavasour
• waterpower
• airpower
• brainpower
• devour
• empower
• horsepower
• manpower

Kids Definition

firepower

noun

fire·​pow·​er -ˌpau̇(-ə)r 

: the ability to deliver gunfire or warheads on a target