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

The Cougars offer plenty of firepower besides their superstar freshman. —Scott Phillips, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025

Carolina will hang around for a while for this one, but the Packers — a legitimate Super Bowl threat — have just too much firepower. —Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 2 Nov. 2025

But now these escalations are almost exclusively in one direction, with Israel unleashing its firepower on Gaza against a depleted Hamas. —Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025

Do the Tigers have the firepower to keep up? —Matt Schubert, Denver Post, 29 Oct. 2025

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