great power

noun, often capitalized G&P

Definition of great power

: one of the nations that figure most decisively in international affairs : superpower

Examples of great power in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web That's now given us seven decades without great power war, a great achievement historically. — CBS News, "National security analyst Graham Allison on second "mutually assured destruction"— a U.S.-China climate conflict," 11 Nov. 2020 The resignation letter is also a laundry list of achievements, from steering the domestic COVID-19 response to realigning the depart to face great power competition as prescribed in the 2018 National Defense Strategy. — Abraham Mahshie, Washington Examiner, "Defense Secretary Mark Esper 'terminated' by Trump," 9 Nov. 2020 With great responsibility comes great power — the power to stop a production if there are safety concerns, and the power to potentially fire people who violate safety protocols. — Amina Khan Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, "Coronavirus Today: The sacrifices of nurses," 27 Oct. 2020 How to reach the target is up to Newsom, whose team is in charge of the state prison system and wields great power over its shape. — Jason Fagone, SFChronicle.com, "Newsom has been ordered to halve San Quentin’s population, but he may not release inmates," 26 Oct. 2020 With great power comes great responsibility for Scottsdale Saguaro's star player, Denzel Burke. — Dana Scott, The Arizona Republic, "Saguaro standout Denzel Burke starts 2020 season facing former team Brophy Prep," 9 Oct. 2020 There’s great power living virtuous lives and asking close-to-home kinds of questions like that. — Kathryn Jean Lopez, National Review, "Amy Coney Barrett and the Best of America," 5 Oct. 2020 Brown called for the elimination of bureaucratic hurdles so the United States can make acquisitions faster and keep up with great power competitors. — Abraham Mahshie, Washington Examiner, "China's nuclear arms buildup 'inconsistent' with no-first-use policy, StratCom chief says," 14 Sep. 2020 With great power, though, comes great responsibility. — National Geographic, "DINOSAURS," 15 Sep. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'great power.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

25 Nov 2020

Cite this Entry

“Great power.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/great%20power. Accessed 30 Nov. 2020.

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