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

Sam Reinhart scored short-handed and on the power play, and the Florida Panthers concluded a strong four-game road trip with a 5-2 win over the rival Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night. —Miami Herald, 16 Dec. 2025

Raddysh scored on a five-on-three power play midway through the second period to pull the Lightning within one. —CBS News, 14 Dec. 2025

Pitlick and Hartman gave Minnesota a 2-0 lead, but the Senators scored twice on the power play to even it up around six minutes into the third. —Joe Smith, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2025

With Wallstedt on the bench and the Wild on a power play, Zuccarello scored on a wrister to pull Minnesota back within two in the final minutes. —Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 7 Dec. 2025

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