powerhouse
Americannoun
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Electricity. a generating station.
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a person, group, team, or the like, having great energy, strength, or potential for success.
noun
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an electrical generating station or plant
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informal a forceful or powerful person or thing
Usage
What does powerhouse mean? A powerhouse is a powerful, forceful, or dominant person, group, or thing. In a literal sense, a powerhouse is a station or plant that generates electricity. Although it can still be used this way, terms like power plant and power station are much more common. Powerhouse is far more commonly used in the figurative way, especially in context of sports and business. Example: Because they always win, they can always recruit the best players, which makes them a perennial powerhouse in the conference.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of powerhouse
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 Northern Powerhouse rail bill promises £45bn will be invested in major improvements to rail services between key cities in the north of England.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
Powerhouse batsman Tim David has only just returned from a hamstring tear suffered in December, while Stoinis injured his hand fielding in the shock defeat to Zimbabwe that left Australia on the brink of elimination.
From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026
Powerhouse Australian sprinter Sam Welsford stormed home from well back for his seventh stage win in the Tour Down Under as Jay Vine remained the overall race leader on Friday.
From Barron's • Jan. 23, 2026
Appeared in the December 23, 2025, print edition as 'Cyber Powerhouse Israel Is Embarrassed by Hacks'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025
She had not even opened her Powerhouse bar or her potato chips, and now she traced the letters on the candy wrappers with her fingers.
From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
