authorities
- 1The people or organizations with official power to govern an area or run a public service, such as the police, local government, or a health agency.
The city authorities introduced new regulations governing waste collection.
Provincial authorities control how public funds are allocated across the districts.
UsageUsually the authorities, or with a word for the area: city authorities. The verb agrees with many: the authorities have decided.
Note
The singular names one such body, as in the local authority, and uncountable authority, as in question authority, means people in power in general. The plural is the usual way to speak of officialdom, mostly as the authorities, and it takes a plural verb: the authorities have decided. A word for the area often comes first, as in city authorities.
- 2Plural of authority.
Multiple authorities were consulted before the final decision was made.
She is one of the world's leading authorities on medieval church music.
UsageExperts are authorities on a subject. Power or permission itself stays authority: they have the authority to act.
Note
The plural reaches only the countable senses of authority. Reliable sources pluralize (the authorities on a subject can disagree), and so do public bodies set up to run a service or an area: housing, transport and water authorities. For officialdom itself, see the governing bodies.
authorities is a form of authority
authority, noun: People in official positions of power, considered together, especially the police and other law enforcement. Full entry
- Forms
- authorityauthorities plural
- Spelling
- authority → authorities: change y to i, add -es
- Sound
- The ending sounds like /z/.
Use it in a sentence
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