powers that be
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.69 in modern English
22
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
3
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The holders of power or the authorities in a given situation, especially if seen as being faceless or unreasonably bureaucratic.
Example Sentences
- "[I]t appeared as though the hospital at Barchester would fall into abeyance, unless the powers that be should take some steps towards putting it once more into working order."
- "Whoever you elect, he will legislate in favor of ‘law and order,’ to protect things as they are. The main concern of the powers that be is that the people should continue to believe in and uphold the existing system."
- "Time is truly wastin', there's no guarantee / Smile is in the makin', we've got to fight the powers that be"
- "The powers that be, they trick us / Loopholes to evict us"
Etymology
After Romans 13:1 in the Tyndale Bible and the King James Version. The phrase is a translation of the Ancient Greek αἱ οὖσαι ἐξουσίαι (hai oûsai exousíai, “the existing authorities”). The verb be is the archaic third-person plural present indicative form, equivalent to the modern are, and not a subjunctive.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: αἱ οὖσαι ἐξουσίαι
Inflected Forms
the powers that be (canonical, plural)
powers-that-be (alternative)