authority Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the power or right to give orders or make decisions
    potency; say-so; authorisation; dominance; authorization.
    • he has the authority to issue warrants
    • deputies are given authorization to make arrests
    • a place of potency in the state
  2. noun (usually plural) persons who exercise (administrative) control over others
    • the authorities have issued a curfew
  3. noun an expert whose views are taken as definitive
    • he is an authority on corporate law
  4. noun freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
    confidence; self-confidence; self-assurance; sureness; assurance.
    • his assurance in his superiority did not make him popular
    • after that failure he lost his confidence
    • she spoke with authority
  5. noun an administrative unit of government
    office; agency; bureau; federal agency; government agency.
    • the Central Intelligence Agency
    • the Census Bureau
    • Office of Management and Budget
    • Tennessee Valley Authority
  6. noun official permission or approval
    authorisation; authorization; sanction.
    • authority for the program was renewed several times
  7. noun an authoritative written work
    • this book is the final authority on the life of Milton

WordNet

Au*thor"i*ty noun
Etymology
OE. autorite, auctorite, F. autorité, fr. L. auctoritas, fr. auctor. See Author, n.
Wordforms
plural Authorities
Definitions
  1. 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.
    Thus can the demigod, Authority, Make us pay down for our offense. Shak.
    By what authority doest thou these things ? Matt. xxi. 23.
  2. Government; the persons or the body exercising power or command; as, the local authorities of the States; the military authorities. Chiefly in the plural.
  3. 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.
  4. That which, or one who, is claimed or appealed to in support of opinions, actions, measures, etc. Hence: (a) Testimony; witness. "And on that high authority had believed." Milton. (b) A precedent; a decision of a court, an official declaration, or an opinion, saying, or statement worthy to be taken as a precedent. (c) A book containing such a statement or opinion, or the author of the book. (d) Justification; warrant.
    Wilt thou be glass wherein it shall discern Authority for sin, warrant for blame. Shak.

Webster 1913