1
general::
noun authority/control ADJ. absolute, ultimate | considerable, enormous | limited | arbitrary | economic, legal, legislative, political | popular | secular VERB + POWER come to, rise to When did this government come to power? | assume, seize, take The Crown prince assumed power in his father's place. | restore sb to, return sb to | have, hold The court has no power to order a psychiatric examination of the child's parents. They held power for 18 years. | share | exercise, use, wield | confer, give sb, grant sb The new law delegates many of these powers to school governors. | fall from, lose They fell from power in 1992. | give up, relinquish, renounce | delegate, devolve POWER + VERB be concentrated in (the hands of sb/sth), rest with sb/sth The real legislative power still rests with the lower chamber. POWER + NOUN struggle getting the upper hand in a power struggle | base The party's power base is in the industrial north of the country. PREP. in (your) ~ the party in power They held us in their power. | ~ of the power of veto | ~ over The government has limited legal powers over television. PHRASES abuse of power, the balance of power The war brought about a shift in the balance of power. | a bid for power, the exercise of power, a position of power the father's position of power and influence in the home | the power behind the throne (= the person who is really in control) People say that the prime minister's wife is the power behind the throne. | power-hungry The company was too small to hold two such power-hungry men. | a transfer of power the transfer of power from a military to a civilian government ability to do sth ADJ. air, military, naval, sea an increase in Britain's air power | fire weapons with enormous fire power | bargaining | computing | healing the healing power of sleep | earning, purchasing | staying Having served in four governments, he has the greatest staying power of any politician today. | magic, magical, mystical, psychic, supernatural They believe he has supernatural powers. VERB + POWER have | use | develop | lose Religion is rapidly losing its power to shape our behaviour. PREP. beyond sb/sth's ~ a task still beyond any computer's power | in/within your I'm afraid it's not within my power to help you. | through the ~ of He wants to change the world through the power of prayer. | ~s as a tribute to his powers as a teacher | ~ of her powers of observation I lost my power of speech for a while after the accident. PHRASES at the height/peak/zenith of your powers In 1946 Dali was at the peak of his powers. | do all/everything in your power He did everything in his power to find us somewhere to live. country with influence ADJ. great, major | world | foreign | allied, enemy | occupying | victorious | European, Western, etc. major European powers such as France and Germany | colonial, industrial, naval force ADJ. great | destructive, terrible the destructive power of a hurricane energy ADJ. full The plane was still climbing at full power. | reduced The transmitter is operating on reduced power. | electric, electrical, hydroelectric, nuclear, solar, steam, tidal, water, wind VERB + POWER generate, produce They use these streams to generate power for the mill. | provide (sb/sth with), supply (sb/sth with) This wheel provides the power to the cutting machine. | use | harness | turn on | cut off, turn off POWER + VERB drive sth Wind power is used to drive the machinery. POWER + NOUN cable, line, point, supply | tool DIY grew in popularity with the advent of power tools. | plant, station | worker | cut, failure PREP. ~ for supplying power for the grinding process PHRASES a source of power
3
general::
power verbs have power • People who have power never seem to use it to help others. get/gain power • Women were trying to gain power in a male-dominated world. use your power ( also exercise (your) power formal ) • The party will use all its power and influence to raise the issue in the Senate. • Questions have been asked about the way the police exercised their power. wield power formal (= use power - used when someone has a lot of power ) • The Church still wields enormous power in the country. adjectives great/huge/enormous • The central banks have huge power. limited • The king's power was limited. political/economic/military power • countries with little economic power absolute power (= total power, with no limits ) • Parents had absolute power over children in those days. unbridled power (= without any controls ) • Certain wealthy men exercised unbridled power. real power • The real power lay with the President’s advisers. phrases a power struggle (= a situation in which groups or leaders try to get control ) • The country is locked in a power struggle between forces favouring and opposing change. the balance of power • There has been a shift in the balance of power between the two countries. a position of power (= a job or role that gives someone power ) • Many of them were using their positions of power for personal advantage. an abuse of power (= a wrong or unfair use of power ) • This cover-up is a scandalous abuse of power. power 2 verbs be in power • The law was passed when the Democrats were in power. come to power (= start being in control ) • Tony Blair came to power in 1997. take power (= start being in control, usually without an election ) • Many people fled after the military took power last September. seize power (= take power by force ) • His son seized power in a military coup. assume power formal (= take power ) • He assumed power after the assassination of the former president. win power (= win an election ) • The Prime Minister is facing his toughest challenge since winning power. rise to power • The Roman emperor Vespasian rose to power through command of an army. return/be returned to power (= start being in control again, usually after an election ) • The party was returned to power with a reduced majority. hold power (= be in power ) • Economic disaster befell the country during the decade when he held power. restore somebody to power (= put someone in control of a country again ) • In 2004, the army restored him to power. sweep to power (= win an election easily ) • Reagan swept to power by promising reforms. cling to power (= not lose it, or try not to lose it ) • Mao Tse-tung, the leader of the 1949 Communist revolution, clung to power for 27 years. phrases sb’s rise to power • The programme examines Saddam Hussein’s rise to power. sb’s return to power • Churchill’s return to power had an immediate effect upon Anglo-American relations. power 3 adjectives mental powers • Is it possible to enhance your mental powers? creative powers • A music teacher should have a real interest in developing children’s creative powers. healing powers • The water was supposed to have healing powers. magical/special/miraculous powers • Diamonds were once thought to have magical powers. phrases the power of speech • I was so surprised that I momentarily lost the power of speech. the power of flight • Some birds have lost the power of flight over millions of years. be at the height of your powers (= be at a time in your life when your abilities are strongest ) • Fonteyn was still at the height of her powers as a dancer. verbs lose a power • He was a brilliant speaker, who never lost the power to influence people. sb’s powers are failing/waning (= becoming less good ) • Mark felt that his creative powers were waning. power 4 ADJECTIVES/NOUN + power nuclear power • The accident raised doubts about the safety of nuclear power. solar power (= energy produced by sunlight ) • They use solar power for all their heating. wind power (= energy produced by the wind ) • Is wind power the answer to the energy crisis? wave power (= energy produced by waves in the sea ) • Wave power can be used to generate electricity. hydroelectric power (= energy produced by flowing water ) • The factory is run on hydroelectric power. steam power (= energy produced from steam ) • Early engines were driven by steam power. a source of power • One problem is their reliance on coal as the main source of power. power 5 ADJECTIVES/NOUN + power a great power • Britain wanted to maintain her status as a great power. a major power (= very important one ) • There will be representatives from all the world's major powers at the conference. a world power (= one with influence all over the world ) • The United States had replaced Great Britain as the dominant world power. a military/naval power (= with a very strong army or navy ) • Russia had become a naval power equal to Spain. a foreign power • He was charged with spying for a foreign power.