power, authority, jurisdiction, control, command, sway, dominion mean the right to govern or rule or determine. power implies possession of ability to wield force, authority, or influence. AUTHORITY definition: the power to determine, adjudicate, or otherwise settle issues or disputes; jurisdiction; the right to control, command, or determine.

Understanding the Context

See examples of authority used in a sentence. AUTHORITY definition: 1. the moral or legal right or ability to control: 2. a group of people with official….

Key Insights

Learn more. In sociology, authority is the legitimate or socially approved power which one person or a group possesses and practices over another. authority, n. meanings, etymology, pronunciation and more in the Oxford English Dictionary If you have the authority to do something, you have the right or power to do it. You are the big cheese.

Final Thoughts

Or, if you know more about a topic than most, you are an authority on that topic. Giving someone authority grants them the power to make important decisions or have accepted opinions. Authority, control, influence denote a power or right to direct the actions or thoughts of others. For the presence of the h, compare the etymology of author. authority (countable and uncountable, plural authorities) I have the authority to penalise the staff in my department, but not the authority to sack them. Vigilantes may have the power to nab criminals, but they lack the authority.

Sean (written "Seán" or "Séan" in Irish) is a Hibernization of the English name "John"; that is, it's a transliteration of "John" into a form which can be pronounced in Irish and written with the Irish alphabet (which nowadays is simply a version of the Roman alphabet).