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

Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin scored on a third-period power play in his first game since missing seven games with a lower-body injury. —CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026

While both Terry’s goals came at even strength, the late equalizer and the first two tallies in the victory came off the power play. —Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 23 Mar. 2026

The return of Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek will mean getting the band back together for the top Minnesota’s power play unit. —Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 23 Mar. 2026

The score came in the waning seconds of the power play and with just under two minutes in the period, and quieted the crimson and gold-clad crowd. —Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 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