How to Use authority in a Sentence

authority

noun
Definition of authoritynext
Synonyms for authoritynext
  • She has an air of authority.
  • The boss is not popular but his authority is unquestioned.
  • Her southern accent lent authority to her performance.
  • We reported the incident to hospital authorities.
  • Local authorities are investigating the accident.
  • That means that the new DC chief likely won’t have the kind of broad authority that Feige enjoys.
    — Brent Lang, Variety, 29 Aug. 2022
  • The clergy’s authority — there are eight members, including Potapov as the head priest — has waned in her eyes.
    — Mariya Manzhos, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2022
  • Kim was also charged with assault under the color of authority in the incident.
    — Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2022
  • However, authorities have not said that these two incidents are connected.
    — Dan Perry, Newsweek, 5 Jan. 2025
  • Around the same time, authorities in Trenton received a call from an Uber rider reporting that a man was firing shots from a pickup truck.
    — Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Finnigan was handed a six-year sentence with an extended three-year license period, authorities confirmed.
    — Becca Longmire, People.com, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Brand building means building a name that is recognizable, communicates trust and signals authority.
    — Jon Younger, Forbes, 26 Aug. 2022
  • Yet even as Frankfurter wielded new authority, fissures emerged in the foundations of his political power.
    — John Fabian Witt, The New Republic, 26 Aug. 2022
  • But the deeper issue the court addressed was how much authority administrative agencies like the FDA should have.
    — Michael B. Farber and Anand Shah, STAT, 27 Aug. 2022
  • The dead were between the ages of 5 and 7, authorities said.
    — Laís Martins and Lucas Dumphreys, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2023
  • The knife had been taken from a car in the area, authorities have said.
    — Jeff Parrott, Indianapolis Star, 13 Jan. 2020
  • Robinson then grabbed the teen and wrestled the gun out of the youth’s hands, authorities said.
    — Keith L. Alexander, Washington Post, 15 May 2023
  • The killer left his DNA, but authorities couldn't find a match.
    — Vic Ryckaert, Indianapolis Star, 13 July 2018
  • The Dodgers hit just two balls with any sort of authority.
    — Nick Piecoro, The Arizona Republic, 22 Sep. 2022
  • As authorities began to secure the area, I was told to leave the grounds.
    — TIME.com, 22 Dec. 2017
  • Our authority figures should have told us the truth from the start.
    — al, 1 May 2021
  • And rather than asking more questions, the authorities take you at your word and close the case.
    — oregonlive, 17 Sep. 2019
  • The issue was a lack of authority, not a lack of money.
    — James Brooks, Anchorage Daily News, 13 June 2019
  • British authorities fined Deutsche Bank over the same scheme.
    — Emily Stewart, Vox, 30 Nov. 2018
  • The nuance in these posts gives them heft and authority, even when they’re couched as jokes.
    — New York Times, 5 Feb. 2021
  • Haag, who lived in the basement of the house, was not at home when the mother arrived, authorities said.
    — Julie Shaw, Philly.com, 6 Apr. 2018
  • What good is such authority, if it is not put to use in a crisis?
    — Paul Elie, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2022
  • De Laura has the authority — a level of trust that took months and months to build — to shake Fisch off.
    — Michael Lev, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2022
  • Slick conditions caused the car to leave the road, authorities said.
    — Michael Katz, idahostatesman, 23 Dec. 2017
  • French was then able to gain control of the taser and tased the officer, authorities say.
    — John Sharp | , al, 7 Apr. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'authority.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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