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

After Dalibor Dvorsky scored with 13 minutes left to put Slovakia ahead, Slafkovsky wired a shot past Saros on the power play and pumped his fist to the crowd. —Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026

Just as the power play ended, Finland's Eeli Tolvanen scored. —Nbc News, NBC news, 11 Feb. 2026

Phoebe Niese scored twice with an empty-netter, pairing with Angela Wells’ game-winning goal on a power play to anchor Boston Latin’s attack in a 3-1 win over Winthrop. —Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 10 Feb. 2026

The power play has gone from historically bad to hysterically inept. —Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 7 Feb. 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