Definitions

world power

NOUN

powerful country

Synonyms

STRONGEST

superpower

WEAK

dominion global force imperium lordship powerful nation sovereignty

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Xi has drawn one lesson from the Soviet Union’s collapse above all: Moscow’s economy was too narrow—dependent on a handful of industries such as steel, energy and weapons—to sustain a world power.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

But there’s a big exception in which more old-fashioned prejudices about bodily strength and real world power kick in: When the person in question rules through intimidation.

From Salon • Nov. 19, 2025

Salami had boasted of Iran's military capabilities, at one point declaring that the country was "on the verge of becoming a world power".

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2025

His Majesty’s Surge has “nicked” a spot on this week’s list to give an update on the Merry Land of Britain, an ancestral world power.

From Slate • May 25, 2024

Never before or since has Holland been the world power it was ’ We even know what gifts they brought the Court.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan