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

The Red Sox have surged without their injured ace, Garrett Crochet, who last pitched on April 25, the day Breslow fired manager Alex Cora and five coaches in a panic move, power play or, perhaps, a prescient vision of what a change could mean. — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 20 July 2026

But after episode 4, his machinations and power plays have come to light, setting him up as the next formidable adversary to the new queen — and the latest focus of the fandom’s memes. — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 2026

Carlson will slot into Raddysh’s spot next to Moser and will provide a similar right-handed shot on the power play for Nikita Kucherov passes. — Scott Turick, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 July 2026

Our other data center power play is GE Vernova , which makes natural gas turbines that can be used to generate off-grid energy. — Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 1 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for power play

• aaa
• alleyway
• alumnae
• anime
• anyway
• arete
• attache
• axillae
• baa
• beaujolais
• bouvier
• breakaway