Rate this phrase:0.0 / 0 votes

powers that be

The holders of power or the authorities in a given situation, especially as seen as being faceless or unreasonably bureaucratic.

Etymology:

  • After Romans 13:1 in the Tyndale Bible and the King James Version.
  • This “be” was not an English subjunctive but translated the Ancient Greek αἱ οὖσαι ἐξουσίαι using the now-archaic alternative third-person plural indicative form, equivalent to the modern “are”.
19 Views
Collection   Edit    

Submitted on September 01, 2009

Translation

Find a translation for the powers that be phrase in other languages:

δυνάμεις που είναι

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to powers that be

How to pronounce this phrase?

Discuss this powers that be phrase with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this powers that be definition to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "powers that be." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 Nov. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/powers-that-be_6213>.

    Powered by CITE.ME Cite.Me

    We need you!

    Help us build the largest human-edited phrases collection on the web!

    Quiz

    Are you a phrases master?

    »
    The _______ must go on.
    A show
    B book
    C production
    D play

    Browse Phrases.com

    #ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ