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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
The letter, sent Friday and also signed by Reps. André Carson (D-Ind.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Summer Lee (D-Pa.), is part of an ongoing congressional debate over presidential war powers, sparked by the start of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza last year.
—Ellen Mitchell, The Hill, 1 Nov. 2024
With aid from conservative majorities on the Supreme Court, presidents reasserted broad claims of executive privilege, expanded war powers, and won immunity from prosecution.
—Bruce J. Schulman / Made By History, TIME, 8 Aug. 2024
Reforming the president’s war powers promises to be a long slog and would by no means guarantee that the United States finds a greater measure of peace.
—Stephen Pomper, Foreign Affairs, 21 Sep. 2021
Reining in the executive branch’s unilateral war powers and requiring public deliberation over where and against whom the United States is waging war would be a good place to start.
—Stephen Pomper, Foreign Affairs, 21 Sep. 2021
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Word History
First Known Use
1766, in the meaning defined above
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Cite this Entry
“War power.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/war%20power. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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