In idiomatic English, "the powers that be" is a phrase used to refer to those individuals or groups who collectively hold authority over a particular domain. Within this phrase, the word be is an archaic variant of are rather than a subjunctive be.
In idiomatic English, "the powers that be" is a phrase used to refer to those individuals or groups who collectively hold authority over a particular domain. Within this phrase, the word be is an archaic variant of are rather than a subjunctive be.
Source: Wikipedia "The powers that be" · CC BY-SA 4.0
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