war power

noun

: the power to make war

specifically : an extraordinary power exercised usually by the executive branch of a government in the prosecution of a war

Examples of war power in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Massie’s Hegseth resolution, among other allegations, lays out charges of violating Congress’ war powers and carrying out extrajudicial killings. — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2026

And in the race for Michigan governor, Democrat Jocelyn Benson, Michigan’s secretary of state, sought to tie Republican John James to Trump’s tariff agenda and for voting against the Iran war powers resolutions. — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2026

First created in the aftermath of the Vietnam War as a way to hold a president accountable for military actions, the war powers act has long posed a test of the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches of government. — Lisa Mascaro, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026

The Senate on its 10th try also approved a war powers resolution to end the conflict, but GOP senators quickly reversed course the next day after Trump berated them during a closed-door lunch. — Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1766, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for war power

• airpower
• brainpower
• devour
• empower
• firepower
• horsepower
• manpower
• mayflower
• safflower
• sunflower
• wallflower
• watchtower