Meaning & use
authority
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Meanings
noununcountable
The right or power to give orders and make decisions that others must follow.
Grammar: Usually uncountable, often followed by over or to do: authority over staff.
Patterns
- authority over someone
- the authority to do something
The manager has authority over the whole department.
Only a judge has the authority to order that.
Children often test their parents' authority.
nouncountable
An official organization or body that controls a particular area.
Grammar: Often plural: the authorities means the officials in charge.
Patterns
- the local authority
The city's water authority raised its prices.
Please report the problem to the local authorities.
nouncountable
A person with expert knowledge of a subject, or a source that can be trusted.
Grammar: Often followed by on: an authority on birds.
Patterns
- an authority on something
She is a leading authority on ancient Greece.
The dictionary is the final authority on spelling.
Word forms
| plural | authorities |
|---|
Common combinations
- have authority over
- Teachers have authority over the classroom.
- challenge authority
- Teenagers sometimes challenge authority.
- in authority
- People in authority should set an example.
- an authority on
- He is an authority on medieval history.
- local authority
- The local authority repaired the road.
Synonyms and how they differ
- power
- Power is the ability to influence or force, whether or not it is officially allowed.
- expert
- Expert refers only to someone with skill or knowledge, not to official power.
- jurisdiction
- Jurisdiction is the formal area or range in which an official body may act.
Opposites
Word family
- authorize verb
- to give official permission for something
- authoritative adjective
- trusted as reliable, or commanding
- authoritarian adjective
- demanding strict obedience
- authorization noun
- official permission
Commonly confused: authority or authoritative?
authority vs authoritative
Authoritative means reliable or commanding, while authoritarian means demanding strict obedience.
Practice
The inspector has the ___ to close the restaurant.
Choose one answer.
After the, a noun is needed; the authority to do something means the right to do it. Authorities would mean officials.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “authority”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.