Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun idiomatic The holders of power or the
authorities in a given situation, especially as seen as beingfaceless or unreasonably bureaucratic.
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
After the Authorized Version of the Bible, Romans 13:1: "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: The powers that be are ordained of God."
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Examples
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