Definitions for authority
əˈθɔr ɪ ti, əˈθɒr-au·thor·i·ty

Princeton's WordNet(3.60 / 5 votes)Rate this definition:

1. authority, authorization, authorisation, potency, dominance, say-sonoun

   the power or right to give orders or make decisions

   "he has the authority to issue warrants"; "deputies are given authorization to make arrests"; "a place of potency in the state"

2. authoritynoun

   (usually plural) persons who exercise (administrative) control over others

   "the authorities have issued a curfew"

3. authoritynoun

   an expert whose views are taken as definitive

   "he is an authority on corporate law"

4. assurance, self-assurance, confidence, self-confidence, authority, surenessnoun

   freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities

   "his assurance in his superiority did not make him popular"; "after that failure he lost his confidence"; "she spoke with authority"

5. agency, federal agency, government agency, bureau, office, authoritynoun

   an administrative unit of government

   "the Central Intelligence Agency"; "the Census Bureau"; "Office of Management and Budget"; "Tennessee Valley Authority"

6. authority, authorization, authorisation, sanctionnoun

   official permission or approval

   "authority for the program was renewed several times"

7. authoritynoun

   an authoritative written work

   "this book is the final authority on the life of Milton"

Wiktionary(3.25 / 4 votes)Rate this definition:

1. authoritynoun

   The power to enforce rules or give orders.

   Etymology: autorite, from auctorité, from stem of auctoritas, from auctor

2. authoritynoun

   Persons in command; specifically, government.

   Etymology: autorite, from auctorité, from stem of auctoritas, from auctor

3. authoritynoun

   A person accepted as a source of reliable information on a subject.

   The world's foremost authority on orangutans.

   Etymology: autorite, from auctorité, from stem of auctoritas, from auctor

Webster Dictionary(4.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Authoritynoun

   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

   Etymology: [OE. autorite, auctorite, F. autorit, fr. L. auctoritas, fr. auctor. See Author, n.]

2. Authoritynoun

   government; the persons or the body exercising power or command; as, the local authorities of the States; the military authorities

   Etymology: [OE. autorite, auctorite, F. autorit, fr. L. auctoritas, fr. auctor. See Author, n.]

3. Authoritynoun

   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

   Etymology: [OE. autorite, auctorite, F. autorit, fr. L. auctoritas, fr. auctor. See Author, n.]

4. Authoritynoun

   that which, or one who, is claimed or appealed to in support of opinions, actions, measures, etc

   Etymology: [OE. autorite, auctorite, F. autorit, fr. L. auctoritas, fr. auctor. See Author, n.]

5. Authoritynoun

   testimony; witness

   Etymology: [OE. autorite, auctorite, F. autorit, fr. L. auctoritas, fr. auctor. See Author, n.]

6. Authoritynoun

   a precedent; a decision of a court, an official declaration, or an opinion, saying, or statement worthy to be taken as a precedent

   Etymology: [OE. autorite, auctorite, F. autorit, fr. L. auctoritas, fr. auctor. See Author, n.]

7. Authoritynoun

   a book containing such a statement or opinion, or the author of the book

   Etymology: [OE. autorite, auctorite, F. autorit, fr. L. auctoritas, fr. auctor. See Author, n.]

8. Authoritynoun

   justification; warrant

   Etymology: [OE. autorite, auctorite, F. autorit, fr. L. auctoritas, fr. auctor. See Author, n.]

Freebase(3.75 / 4 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Authority

   The word authority is derived from the Latin word auctoritas, meaning invention, advice, opinion, influence, or command. In English, the word authority can be used to mean power given by the state or by academic knowledge of an area. The word Authority with capital A refers to the governing body upon which such authority is vested; for example, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority or the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(5.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Authority

   awth-or′it-i, n. legal power or right: power derived from office or character: weight of testimony: permission:—pl. Author′ities, precedents: opinions or sayings carrying weight: persons in power.—adj. Author′itative, having the sanction or weight of authority: dictatorial.—adv. Author′itatively.—n. Author′itativeness. [L. auctoritatem, auctoritas, auctor.]

Dictionary of Nautical Terms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. authority

   The legal power or right of commanding.

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. authority

   In a general acceptation of the term, signifies a right to command and a consequent right to be obeyed. For the appointment of officers of the U. S. army, see Appointing Power. It appears that the sovereigns of Great Britain and other nations have the power to appoint and dismiss officers at pleasure.

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. authority

   Official right to make a specific decision.

   They do have the authority to create legislation.

   Submitted by MaryC on February 5, 2020  

Suggested Resources(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. authority

   The authority symbol -- In this Symbols.com article you will learn about the meaning of the authority symbol and its characteristic.

Matched Categories

1. • Administrative Unit
   • Book
   • Certainty
   • Control
   • Expert
   • Permission
   • Person

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'authority' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #514

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'authority' in Written Corpus Frequency: #697

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'authority' in Nouns Frequency: #77

How to pronounce authority?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say authority in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of authority in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of authority in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of authority in a Sentence

1. Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi:

   These battles are not easy, but the day will come, God willing, when all Aleppo - its rural areas and the occupied part of the city - will return to state authority.

2. Franklin Graham:

   He needs our prayers, and that's for sure, the Bible tells us to pray for those who are in authority. He's in authority and we need to pray for him.

3. Carly Fiorina:

   Whatever agreement emerges from Paris, [ President Obama ] has no intention of submitting it to the Senate for ratification asa treaty. The administration argues that any agreement does not bind The United States to a course of action. Moreover, it says the Clean Air Act and the United Nations Framework on Climate Change signed by Jeb Bush already give President Obama the authority Jeb Bush needs to carry out climatecommitments.

4. William Penn:

   Believe nothing against another but on good authority; and never report what may hurt another, unless it be a greater hurt to some other to conceal it.

5. Menachem Begin:

   Israel will not transfer Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza District to any foreign sovereign authority, [because] of the historic right of our nation to this land, [and] the needs of our national security, which demand a capability to defend our State and the lives of our citizens.

Images & Illustrations of authority

Popularity rank by frequency of use