powers
word · lemma: power
/ˈpaʊɝz/
POW-urz
/pˈaʊəz/
POW-uhz
Definition
The plural of "power." It can mean legal or official authority, special abilities, physical or political strength, or numbers used as exponents in math.
Usage & Nuances
Most often used as a plural noun for authority or special abilities: "police powers," "superpowers." In math, "powers of ten" is common. Don't confuse it with uncountable "power" meaning electricity or general strength.
Spanish: poderes - potencias (matemáticas)Portuguese (BR): poderes - potências (matemática)Portuguese (PT): poderes - potências (matemática)Chinese (Simplified): 权力 - 能力 - 幂（数学）Chinese (Traditional): 權力 - 能力 - 冪（數學）Hindi: शक्तियाँ - अधिकार - घात (गणित)Arabic: سلطات - قدرات - أسس (في الرياضيات)Bengali: ক্ষমতাসমূহ - ক্ষমতা (আইনগত/সরকারি) - শক্তি (বিশেষ ক্ষমতা)Russian: полномочия - силы (сверхъестественные) - степени (математика)Japanese: 権限 - 能力 - 力 - べき乗（数学）Vietnamese: quyền hạn - năng lực đặc biệt - số mũ (toán học)Korean: 권한 - 능력(초능력) - 거듭제곱(수학)Turkish: yetkiler - güçler (özel yetenekler) - üsler (matematikte)Urdu: اختیارات - طاقتیں (خاص صلاحیتیں) - قوّتیں (ریاضی کے لیے)Indonesian: kekuasaan - kemampuan khusus - pangkat (matematika)
Example Sentences
She believes the ring has magic powers.
basic
The president has special powers in an emergency.
basic
We are learning about powers of ten in class.
basic
The movie is fun, but the hero’s powers make every fight too easy.
natural
People worry when the police get broader powers.
natural
I’m fine with spreadsheets until someone starts talking about fourth powers.
natural