Meaning & use
power move
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Meanings
nouncountableinformal
A bold action that shows confidence and strengthens someone's position or influence, often in work or competition.
Grammar: Countable: a power move, several power moves.
Patterns
- make a power move
- pull a power move
Declining the first offer and asking for more was a real power move.
Her power move was to send the report before the meeting started.
The company made a power move by buying its biggest rival.
nouncountablesport
In wrestling and gymnastics, a strength-based move such as a lift or throw.
Grammar: Countable; used with the sport as context: a power move on the mat.
The wrestler finished the match with a power move that lifted his opponent off the mat.
The gymnast opened her routine with a power move.
Word forms
| plural | power moves |
|---|
Common combinations
- pull a power move
- He pulled a power move by arriving in the CEO's seat.
- make a power move
- She made a power move and asked for a raise.
- total power move
- Leaving the table was a total power move.
- business power move
- Buying the building was a business power move.
- career power move
- Switching to the new team was a career power move.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bold move
- Bold move stresses daring, whereas power move also suggests winning more control.
- gambit
- Gambit is more formal and implies a risk taken for a later advantage.
- coup
- Coup means a sudden, successful achievement or takeover, and is more dramatic.
- flex
- Flex is slang for showing off strength or wealth, and often sounds critical.
Opposites
Word family
- power noun
- strength or control
- move noun
- an action or step
- power play noun
- an action to gain advantage or control
- empower verb
- to give someone power or confidence
Commonly confused: power move or power play?
power move vs power play
A power play is an effort to gain control, while a power move is a single bold action; power play is also an ice hockey term.
Practice
When she calmly ended the meeting and walked out, her coworkers called it a ____ .
Choose one answer.
A power move is a confident action that shows control. The other options are not natural phrases for this meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “power move”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.