power play

noun

1. Football. an aggressive running play in which numerous offensive players converge and forge ahead to block and clear a path for the ball carrier.
2. Ice Hockey.
   1. a situation in which one team has a temporary numerical advantage because an opposing player or players are in the penalty box, and hence has an opportunity for a concerted, swarming attack on the opponent's goal.
   2. the offensive strategy or effectiveness of the team having such an advantage.
3. an action, stratagem, or maneuver, as in politics or business, by which power is concentrated or manipulated in order to subdue a rival or gain control of a situation.

power play

noun

1. behaviour or tactics intended to magnify a person's influence or power
2. the use of brute strength or force of numbers in order to achieve an objective

Word History and Origins

Origin of power play¹

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

But the relationship cooled in the final months of his presidency as the ambassador assailed plans to overhaul the judiciary that critics saw as a ruling-party power play.

From Los Angeles Times

“It looks like just a power play,” Harris conceded about Raiklin’s scheme.

From Salon

The drawing of new boundaries for the City Council’s 15 districts has resulted in power plays, self-dealing and even some score-settling at City Hall.

From Los Angeles Times

She told BBC London she had been asked to present papers showing she needed a ramp despite being in her wheelchair, adding: “It seemed like a petty power play.”

From BBC

It's the ultimate power play to make the Democrats lose through a post-election ploy that's engineered by Trump and his cronies.

From Salon