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
The pope delivered his message in a pow wow circle, a covered ring surrounding an open space used for traditional dancing and drumming circles.
From New York Times ● Jul. 25, 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
Even if the POW agency finds human remains, it may not yet have DNA from family members to identify them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 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
The two sides failed to agree a ceasefire at the May meeting and two follow-ups in June and July, brokering only a major POW swap involving thousands of prisoners.
From Barron's ● Jan. 23, 2026
Earlier this year, a former POW, Pavel Guguyev, 45, was tried for cooperating with a foreign government.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 22, 2025
In real life I am moderately brave, but plenty of brave people shed their courage in POW camps, and maybe something similar goes on in the infinitely more congenial milieu of the low-wage American workplace.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
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.
