superpower
noun
su·per·pow·er
ˈsü-pər-ˌpau̇(-ə)r 
1
: excessive or superior power
2
a
: an extremely powerful nation
specifically
: one of a very few dominant states in an era when the world is divided politically into these states and their satellites
b
: an international governing body able to enforce its will upon the most powerful states
c
: an extremely powerful company, organization, etc.
The retailer hoped to become a financial services superpower …—
Patricia Sellers
Patricia Sellers3
: a power or ability (such as the ability to become invisible or to fly) of the kind possessed by superheroes : a superhuman power
The comic book Ms. Marvel offers a Muslim-American girl from New Jersey who practices her faith while using her superpower to help people.—Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-JabbarThe superpower I've always wished for is invisibility, and I chose my vocation accordingly. A novelist gets 140,000 words per one tiny author photo. That's a visibility ratio I can live with.—Barbara Kingsolver
Barbara KingsolverExamples of superpower in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Armed with shovels, mountains of mulch, and gardening tools, students from all grades are turning their campus into a climate change-fighting superpower.
—Molly McCrea, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
The Symbiote gets a functioning body, while the pay-off for the host is an impressive smorgasbord of superpowers.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Chinese caution is not a superpower against an enemy that throws caution to the wind and doesn’t appear to care what either its allies or critics think.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and beyond count AI as a core pillar of their post-oil economic strategies, positioning themselves as AI superpower contenders in a heated global race.
—John Liu, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for superpower
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Molly McCrea, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
The Symbiote gets a functioning body, while the pay-off for the host is an impressive smorgasbord of superpowers.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Chinese caution is not a superpower against an enemy that throws caution to the wind and doesn’t appear to care what either its allies or critics think.
—Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and beyond count AI as a core pillar of their post-oil economic strategies, positioning themselves as AI superpower contenders in a heated global race.
—John Liu, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for superpower
Cite this Entry
“Superpower.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/superpower. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
superpower
noun
su·per·pow·er
ˈsü-pər-ˌpau̇(-ə)r
: an extremely powerful nation
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