having great power or force or potency or effect; "the most powerful government in western Europe"; "his powerful arms"; "a powerful bomb"; "the horse's powerful kick"; "powerful drugs"; "a powerful argument"
Used in a Sentence
powerful
How to use powerful in a sentence. Example sentences and definitions for powerful.
Editorial note
Lower court rulings can have a powerful impact through the sheer force of their reasoning.
Examples14
Definitions6
Parts of speech2
Quick take
having great power or force or potency or effect; "the most powerful government in western Europe"; "his powerful arms"; "a powerful bomb"; "the horse's powerful kick"; "powerful drugs"; "a powerful argument"
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of powerful gathered in one view.
strong enough to knock down or overwhelm; "a knock-down blow"
having great influence
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for powerful.
adjective
having great power or force or potency or effect; "the most powerful government in western Europe"; "his powerful arms"; "a powerful bomb"; "the horse's powerful kick"; "powerful drugs"; "a powerful argument"
adjective
strong enough to knock down or overwhelm; "a knock-down blow"
adjective
having great influence
See also: potent
adjective
(of a person) possessing physical strength and weight; rugged and powerful; "a hefty athlete"; "a muscular boxer"; "powerful arms"
adjective
displaying superhuman strength or power; "herculean exertions"
See also: herculean
adverb
(Southern regional intensive) very; to a great degree; "the baby is mighty cute"; "he's mighty tired"; "it is powerful humid"; "that boy is powerful big now"; "they have a right nice place"; "they rejoiced mightily"
Example sentences
Lower court rulings can have a powerful impact through the sheer force of their reasoning.
It is quite clear the some of the proposals are strictly designed to serve powerful interest groups.
"Interesting how powerful people manipulate the story of how they got to be where they are.
But Stoicism teaches us that fate is a lot more powerful than our nesting activities.
Boom, I'm immediately picked up as a Jr. VP in a large and powerful, but old and crusty megacorp.
To quote pg: "A hacker who has learned what to make, and not just how to make, is extraordinarily powerful.
This, of course, is what APIs do and this means that his conclusion can be used as a powerful guide in all future API copyright cases.
May she find a powerful new outlet for those talents as she moves forward, even in a difficult environment.
I did so because it was "powerful" but it opened up all sorts of extra binding trickery I never intended.
People who exploited this group were the most powerful - they would have drugs smuggled in, then build an army of addicts who would do their bidding to get the next fix.
Every large city center is equipped with camera's with powerful microphones.
" This could have been an opportunity to attempt bring someone, a powerful CEO, to the side of being informed and support gay rights but instead it was a witch hunt and an embarrassment.
The disagreement and the "fray" are part of the choreographed propaganda undertaken by powerful interests to create the illusion of dissent.
Just like alcohol prohibition created some of the most notorious American criminals, South American drug prohibitions produce powerful criminals down there.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use powerful in a sentence?
Lower court rulings can have a powerful impact through the sheer force of their reasoning.
What does powerful mean?
having great power or force or potency or effect; "the most powerful government in western Europe"; "his powerful arms"; "a powerful bomb"; "the horse's powerful kick"; "powerful drugs"; "a powerful argument"
What part of speech is powerful?
powerful is commonly used as adjective, adverb.