pow
interjection
(used to express or indicate a heavy blow or a loud, explosive noise.)
pow
1 American
[pou]
/ paʊ /
interjection
noun
-
a heavy blow or a loud, explosive noise.
-
the power of exciting.
adjective
pow
2
American
[poh, pou]
/ poʊ, paʊ /
noun
Scot. and North England.
POW
3
American
Or
P.O.W.
POW
1
British
abbreviation
pow
2
British
/ paʊ /
interjection
pow
3
British
/ paʊ /
noun
pow
4
British
/ paʊ /
noun
Etymology
Origin of pow1
An Americanism dating back to 1880–85
Origin of pow2
First recorded in 1715–25; variant of poll 1
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.
See Examples For:
It will be followed by a public luncheon at the fairgrounds in Window Rock, a gospel celebration, a song and dance, a comedy show, a pow wow and an inaugural ball.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 9, 2023
"Toy soldiers, all that jazz. Even now I'm like, 'pow, pow, pow,' on the tour bus."
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2022
Certain arrivals deserve leisurely appreciation, dishes including pork pow, slightly chewy Chinese steamed buns filled with juicy crumbled pork and lit with habanero sauce.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 10, 2022
“No one I’ve ever known has done anything like that. You go to a Native-American pow wow and you don’t hear anything like this.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2021
So I went to his gym, and every day I bounced around, pow pow pow, light as air on my feet, and then, boom! a hook you never saw coming.
From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez
Documents from the POW agency, meanwhile, state he was in the forward hold.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
The POW swaps remain one of the few remaining areas of cooperation between the two sides, at war since Russia ordered troops into its neighbour in February 2022.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
The scenes in Kyiv contrasted with elation to the north, where 205 Ukrainian soldiers were freed in the latest POW exchange with Moscow.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
Ukrainian soldiers captured him 11 days later and sent him to a POW facility in western Ukraine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 11, 2026
I copy the address into the margin of my notes, and then outline it in zigzags like a comic book POW!
From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli
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.
