power vacuum

American

[pou-er vak-yoom, -yoo-uhm, -yuhm] / ˈpaʊ ər ˌvæk yum, -yu əm, -yəm /

noun

a situation where there is a lack of leadership in a government or organization, often because an existing leader has left or been lost.

The power vacuum left by the chairman’s sudden departure has created a bitter contest for control.

Etymology

Origin of power vacuum

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The NFL, meanwhile, has been unable to make any headway on headline issues such as expanding the regular season to 18 games because of the power vacuum inside the union.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mora said that "in the absence of a direct succession, a power vacuum is created that opens the door to violent realignments within the organization."

From Barron's

As well as the possibility of a civil war, such as experienced by Syria, Yemen and Libya, there is also the risk that in the chaos and confusion, ethnic tensions could spill over into armed conflict as Kurds, Baluchis and other minorities look to safeguard their own people amid a nationwide power vacuum.

From BBC

The Patriots and Seahawks, however, developed far quicker than nearly anyone had imagined and stepped into that power vacuum.

From The Wall Street Journal

"There's also been no indication that we're going to see a sustained military occupation in South America… perhaps a residual stabilisation presence to prevent a power vacuum," he said.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023