# the powers that be

idiom · CEFR B2

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/the-powers-that-be
Updated: 2026-07-29

## Meaning

The people or institutions holding authority, especially remote or unnamed ones.

## Examples

- The powers that be decided to close the old branch.
- We can complain all we like, but the powers that be have already made up their minds.
- The staff had drawn up a careful, sensible proposal, but everyone knew it would go nowhere unless the powers that be — invisible, unaccountable, and several floors up — happened to decide that this year they cared.

## Origin

The phrase is from Paul's letter to the Romans, 13:1, in the King James Version: the powers that be are ordained of God. Paul is urging Christians to submit to governing authorities, and the powers that be simply meant the existing rulers — those in charge. The phrasing preserves an archaic grammar, that be where modern English would say that are, and it is precisely this fossilised oddity that gives the expression its distinctive ring. In English the powers that be now refers to whoever holds authority in a given situation — management, government, the board, the officials somewhere above you — and it usually carries a faint edge of resignation or grievance, naming a power one cannot see, reach, or argue with.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.