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
Tarasenko has spent the majority of his time on Florida’s top forward line with Reinhart and Barkov while also getting time on the power play.
—
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2024
The only goal of the opening period came while DU was on the power play.
—Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2024
The Rangers went on to win 4-3 after Chris Kreider scored a power play goal late on in the fiery contest.
—Jacob Lev, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
Quinn mentioned Saturday morning that Calen Addison, not Henry Thrun, would be on the ice with the Sharks’ first power play unit against the Predators, even though Thrun had practiced in that spot earlier in the week.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2024
Bjorkstrand and Wright also scored in the first period for the Kraken, goals sandwiched around a power play marker by Fabian Zetterlund at the 14:19 mark.
Blackwood, making his fourth straight start, made seven saves in the first period and eight more in the second.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024
Although increasingly scripted, the premier’s news conference at the National People’s Congress was watched by the Chinese public and the world’s political and business elite for signs of economic policy shifts and, occasionally, high-level power plays taking place beneath the surface.
—Li Yuan, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024
The move was a power play by the 15 teams holding the 36 charters that guarantee entry into every race, a message that they won't be bullied in the negotiations.
—Jenna Fryer, Quartz, 27 Feb. 2024
The Sabres nearly killed off the Wild’s man advantage, but Chisholm scored his first NHL goal off a faceoff with 16 seconds left on the power play.
—Patrick Donnelly, USA TODAY, 18 Feb. 2024
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2024
The only goal of the opening period came while DU was on the power play.
—Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2024
The Rangers went on to win 4-3 after Chris Kreider scored a power play goal late on in the fiery contest.
—Jacob Lev, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
Quinn mentioned Saturday morning that Calen Addison, not Henry Thrun, would be on the ice with the Sharks’ first power play unit against the Predators, even though Thrun had practiced in that spot earlier in the week.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2024
Bjorkstrand and Wright also scored in the first period for the Kraken, goals sandwiched around a power play marker by Fabian Zetterlund at the 14:19 mark.
Blackwood, making his fourth straight start, made seven saves in the first period and eight more in the second.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024
Although increasingly scripted, the premier’s news conference at the National People’s Congress was watched by the Chinese public and the world’s political and business elite for signs of economic policy shifts and, occasionally, high-level power plays taking place beneath the surface.
—Li Yuan, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024
The move was a power play by the 15 teams holding the 36 charters that guarantee entry into every race, a message that they won't be bullied in the negotiations.
—Jenna Fryer, Quartz, 27 Feb. 2024
The Sabres nearly killed off the Wild’s man advantage, but Chisholm scored his first NHL goal off a faceoff with 16 seconds left on the power play.
—Patrick Donnelly, USA TODAY, 18 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'power play.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near power play
Cite this Entry
“Power play.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/power%20play. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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