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
The Sabres had been on a 1 for 21 stretch on the power play before Wednesday night.
—
CBS News, 15 Jan. 2026
The Sailors went on another power play with just under two minutes left in overtime, and Pembroke was able to get a shot on and scored, but the referees called a no-goal against with just under a minute left.
—Zach McMahon, Boston Herald, 15 Jan. 2026
While Necas has been nearly a like-for-like replacement at even strength as the right wing on Nathan MacKinnon’s line, the Avs have famously struggled on the power play for parts of the nearly 12 months since Rantanen was dealt away.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 14 Jan. 2026
And while Vegas owns a top-five power play, Marner, typically the top unit’s quarterback, has factored into the scoring at the lowest rate of his career — nabbing a point on only 39 percent of the goals.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Power play.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/power%20play. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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