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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Just 93 seconds later, with the Wild on its first power play of the game and Wedgewood missing his stick, Hughes scored his fourth goal of the playoffs, giving Minnesota its first multi-goal lead of the series. Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 10 May 2026 Then McNabb, part of a penalty kill that has erased 21 consecutive power plays in the postseason — including all 11 of the Ducks’ opportunities — doubled the lead 11 minutes later. Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2026 The Avs have allowed one 4-on-5 goal in this postseason, shutting out the NHL’s third-best power play through two games of this series. Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 9 May 2026 The Ducks, who converted half of their power plays in their first-round victory over the Edmonton Oilers, have taken an 0-fer with the man advantage so far against the Knights, going 0 for 2 on Friday night to extend their futility to 0 for 11 for the series. Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 9 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for power play

Word History

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of power play was in 1947

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Cite this Entry

“Power play.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/power%20play. Accessed 10 May. 2026.

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