Meaning & use
share power
Last updated
UK/ˌʃeə ˈpaʊə/
US/ˌʃer ˈpaʊər/
Meaning
verbintransitive
To allow different groups, especially political parties, to govern together and make decisions jointly.
Grammar: No object; often used with 'with': share power with someone.
Patterns
- share power with someone
- agree to share power
- share power in a coalition
The two largest parties agreed to share power after the election.
In a coalition, rival groups must learn to share power.
They refused to share power with the opposition.
Word forms
| third person singular | shares power |
|---|---|
| past tense | shared power |
| past participle | shared power |
| -ing form | sharing power |
Common combinations
- agree to share power
- The rivals finally agreed to share power in a unity government.
- share power with someone
- The president was forced to share power with the parliament.
- refuse to share power
- The ruling party refused to share power with smaller parties.
- share power in a coalition
- They will share power in a coalition for the next four years.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cooperate
- Cooperate means to work together generally, while share power specifically means to divide political control or authority.
- form a coalition
- Forming a coalition is the act of creating a joint government, whereas sharing power is the ongoing practice of governing together.
Opposites
take powerseize power
Word family
- power-sharing noun
- The arrangement or system in which different groups govern together.
- power-sharing adjective
- Describing an agreement or government where power is shared.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'share power' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Only A uses 'share power' in the political sense of governing together. B and D confuse it with 'share a room' or 'share a car'; C confuses it with 'share' meaning to divide food.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “share power”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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