power play

Definition of power play

1 : a military, diplomatic, political, or administrative maneuver in which power is brought to bear

2a : 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 Defenseman Torey Krug fled for bigger bucks to St. Louis, and that’s a double blow, given his importance on the power play. — Bob Ryan, BostonGlobe.com, "Evaluating the state of Boston’s teams in 2020," 29 Dec. 2020 Expect Heiskanen to improve on those offensive numbers given more confidence on the offensive end (and perhaps a greater share of power play time?). — Matthew Defranks, Dallas News, "Which Stars player is ready to make ‘the leap?’," 22 Dec. 2020 The status of never trailing for one second in any of those eight Big Ten games. • A perfect penalty kill (17-for-17) and a power play operating at 29.0%. — Randy Johnson, Star Tribune, "Bob Motzko's sharpshooting Gophers are riding high in the saddle," 10 Dec. 2020 Where sharpshooters need to be in position to score on a power play, playmakers need to be put in position to score in the red zone. — Tyler James, The Indianapolis Star, "Notebook: Notre Dame to spend more time on red-zone offense," 20 Oct. 2020 Last June, the governor's pick as the new chairman of the center's board, Walt Leger III, was vetoed by state Sen. Karen Carter Peterson in a surprise power play that blocked several agency appointments by the governor. — Staff Report, NOLA.com, "Mayor LaToya Cantrell picks Ralph Mahana for Ernest N. Morial Convention Center board," 15 Dec. 2020 The Gophers got the game's first power play at 14:48 of the first when Wolverines forward Michael Pastujov held Jack Perbix on a rush into the Michigan zone. — Randy Johnson, Star Tribune, "Jack LaFontaine posts second shutout as Gophers hockey team routs Michigan 4-0," 9 Dec. 2020 In a critical plot point meant to convey the young bride’s insecurity and the power play between her and Mrs. Danvers, Mrs. de Winter knocks over and breaks a figurine, then tries to hide the evidence. — Madeleine Kearns, National Review, "Last Night I Dreamed I Watched a Better Movie," 8 Nov. 2020 Yzerman also re-signed forward Sam Gagner, who, like Ryan, shoots right and should liven up a power play that chugged along at 14.9%. — Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press, "Why Red Wings' Tyler Bertuzzi has 'loved' Steve Yzerman's moves this offseason," 29 Oct. 2020

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

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Dictionary Entries near power play

power-political

power politician

Statistics for power play

Last Updated

15 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Power play.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/power%20play. Accessed 24 Jan. 2021.

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