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

Encouraging officials to strictly call every non-offsetting penalty in the final 10 minutes of regulation would have an impact, considering how efficient power plays are in today’s game. —Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025

Despite giving the Wings two power plays in the scoreless first period, the B’s held a 5-4 shot advantage in a period that didn’t have a lot of scoring chances. —Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 30 Nov. 2025

The Islanders went 1 for 3 on the power play. —CBS News, 30 Nov. 2025

That gave the Flames a 5-on-3 power play for a full two minutes. —George Richards, Miami Herald, 29 Nov. 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