Political Power Players

noun a person who exercises power or influence in a certain sphere without holding an official position

• The gray eminence behind the scenes orchestrated the entire political campaign.
• The gray eminence is the one pulling all the strings in the company.
• That gray eminence is the real boss around here.
• The shadowy figure acted as the gray eminence, manipulating events from the sidelines.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence

• The power behind the throne is often an advisor or close confidant to the ruler.
• You know who's really the power behind the throne? It's the queen's brother.
• The power behind the throne is like the puppet master pulling all the strings.
• In many organizations, the CEO may be the face of the company, but the real power behind the throne is often the CFO.