- (n.) Hence, vested authority to act in a given case; as, the business was referred to a committee with power.
- (n.) The rate at which mechanical energy is exerted or mechanical work performed, as by an engine or other machine or an animal, working continuously; as, an engine of twenty horse power.
- (n.) Same as Poor, the fish.
- (n.) The agent exercising an ability to act; an individual invested with authority; an institution or government, which exercises control; as, the great powers of Europe; hence, often, a superhuman agent; a spirit; a divinity.
- (n.) Applied force; force producing motion or pressure; as, the power applied at one and of a lever to lift a weight at the other end.
- (n.) The degree to which a lens, mirror or any optical instrument, magnifies; in the telescope, and usually in the microscope, the number of times it multiplies or augments, the apparent diameter of an object; sometimes, in microscopes, the number of times it multiplies the apparent surface.
- (n.) Ability, regarded as put forth or exerted; strength, force or energy in action; as, the power of steam in moving an engine; the power of truth or of argument, in producing conviction; the power of enthusiasm.
- (n.) A military or naval force; an army or navy; a great host.
- (n.) The product arising from the multiplication of a number into itself; as, a square is the second power, and a cube is third power, of a number.
- (n.) A mechanical agent; that from which useful mechanical energy is derived; as, water power; steam power; hand power, etc.
- (n.) Ability to act, regarded as latent or inherent; the faculty of doing or performing something; capacity for action or performance; capability of producing an effect, whether physical or moral: potency; might; as, a man of great power; the power of capillary attraction; money gives power.
- (n.) The exercise of a faculty; the employment of strength; the exercise of any kind of control; influence; dominion; sway; command; government.
- (n.) Capacity of undergoing or suffering; fitness to be acted upon; susceptibility; -- called also passive power; as, great power of endurance.
- (n.) A large quantity; a great number; as, a power o/ good things.
- (n.) Mental or moral ability to act; one of the faculties which are possessed by the mind or soul; as, the power of thinking, reasoning, judging, willing, fearing, hoping, etc.
- (n.) An authority enabling a person to dispose of an interest vested either in himself or in another person; ownership by appointment.
- (n.) A machine acted upon by an animal, and serving as a motor to drive other machinery; as, a dog power.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). power. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/power/definitions/2048087 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "power" http://smartdefine.org/power/definitions/2048087 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, power, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/power/definitions/2048087>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "power" 27 May 2011. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/power/definitions/2048087> |