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WordBand 6.5–8Academic (NAWL)
authority
/ɔːˈθɒɹəti/
noun
people in positions of power, able to decide things
- “Authorities say many of the fires were caused by people.”Tatoeba
- “The authorities simply did not care about the environmental consequences.”Tatoeba
Sentences from Tatoeba show real usage. A word can have several meanings, so a sentence may use another one.
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Related words
More in Government and politics →
jurisdictionnounThe area or range of matters in which an official body can make legal decisions.
checkpointnounA place where officials stop people or vehicles to check them.
take responsibilityTo accept that something is your duty or fault.
sirennounA device that makes a loud rising sound to warn people of an emergency.
bureaucracynounA system of official rules and paperwork that can slow things down.
immigrantnounA person who comes to live in a country that is not their own.
accountabilitynounThe duty to explain and take responsibility for your actions.
sovereigntynounThe right of a country to govern itself without outside control.
Source: New Academic Word List (Browne, Culligan & Phillips) (CC BY-SA 4.0); Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0); Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR)