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authority - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'authority' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Authority [ n.]
- Legal or rightful power; a right to command or to act; power exercised buy a person in virtue of his office or trust; dominion; jurisdiction; authorization; as, the authority of a prince over subjects, and of parents over children; the authority of a court.
- Government; the persons or the body exercising power or command; as, the local authorities of the States; the military authorities.
- The power derived from opinion, respect, or esteem; influence of character, office, or station, or mental or moral superiority, and the like; claim to be believed or obeyed; as, an historian of no authority; a magistrate of great authority.
- That which, or one who, is claimed or appealed to in support of opinions, actions, measures, etc.
- Testimony; witness.
- A precedent; a decision of a court, an official declaration, or an opinion, saying, or statement worthy to be taken as a precedent.
- A book containing such a statement or opinion, or the author of the book.
- Justification; warrant.

Meaning of 'authority' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . authority [ n]
Meaning (1):
- the power or right to give orders or make decisions
Example in sentence:
  • a place of potency in the state;
  • deputies are given authorization to make arrests;
  • he has the authority to issue warrants
Meaning (2):
- freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
Example in sentence:
  • after that failure he lost his confidence;
  • his assurance in his superiority did not make him popular;
  • she spoke with authority
Meaning (3):
- official permission or approval
Example in sentence:
  • authority for the program was renewed several times
Meaning (4):
- an expert whose views are taken as definitive
Example in sentence:
  • he is an authority on corporate law
Meaning (5):
- an administrative unit of government
Example in sentence:
  • Office of Management and Budget;
  • Tennessee Valley Authority;
  • the Census Bureau;
  • the Central Intelligence Agency
Meaning (6):
- (usually plural) persons who exercise (administrative) control over others
Example in sentence:
  • the authorities have issued a curfew
Meaning (7):
- an authoritative written work
Example in sentence:
  • this book is the final authority on the life of Milton

Nearby Words:

autarchy authentic authentical authentically authenticalness authenticate authenticated authenticating authenticity authenticly

See 'authority' also in:

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