What does “authority” mean?
- 1
nounthe power to give orders or make decisions
Only the manager has the authority to approve refunds.
- 2
nounthe authorities: the people or groups who control a place
The authorities closed the road after the storm.
- 3
nounan expert on a subject
She is a leading authority on bird behavior.
Authority at a glance
- Part of speech
- noun
- CEFR level
- B2 (upper intermediate)
- Pronunciation
- /əˈθɔrəti/ · uh-THOR-uh-tee
- Forms
- authorities
Common phrases with “authority”
- in authority
- local authorities
- an authority on sth
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Word family
- authorize
- authoritative
“authority” is on these word lists
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