Power is the ability or capacity to do something, control others, or produce an effect. It can refer to political authority, physical strength, electrical energy, or a mathematical concept (2 to the power of 3).
Meaning and Usage
Power is a rich B1 word with several important meanings. In politics and society, it describes authority and control: "The party came to power last year." In physics and technology, it refers to electrical energy: "The storm caused a power cut." In everyday speech it can mean physical strength ("the power of the waves") or the capacity to achieve something ("the power of education").
The adjective powerful and the antonym powerless are essential vocabulary. Key collocations include come to power, in power, power cut, and the compound words willpower, manpower, and superpower.
Remember: as a general concept, power is usually uncountable: "She has great power." But in the plural, "powers" refers to specific abilities or legal rights: "The police have special powers." Both are correct — context determines which to use.
Power in Use
| Context | Example sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Political | The opposition party is expected to come to power next year. | Authority/control |
| Electrical | The whole street lost power for three hours. | Electrical energy |
| Abstract | Never underestimate the power of a good night's sleep. | Capacity/force |
Common Mistakes
Mistakes to Avoid
She has great powers to inspire people.
She has great power to inspire people. ('power' is uncountable for general capacity; use plural only for specific legal/special abilities)
The new law gives police more power to arresting suspects.
The new law gives police more power to arrest suspects. (power + to-infinitive, not gerund)
He is very power in his community.
He is very powerful in his community. (use the adjective 'powerful', not the noun 'power', as a modifier)