pompom

¹ American  

[pom-pom] / ˈpɒmˌpɒm /

Or pom-pom

noun

1. Also an ornamental tuft or ball of feathers, wool, or the like, used on hats, slippers, etc.

2. pompon.

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pompom ² American  

[pom-pom] / ˈpɒmˌpɒm /

Or pom-pom

noun

1. an automatic antiaircraft cannon.

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pompom British  

/ ˈpɒmpɒm /

noun

1. a ball of tufted silk, wool, feathers, etc, worn on a hat for decoration

2. 1. the small globelike flower head of certain cultivated varieties of dahlia and chrysanthemum

   2. ( as modifier )

      pompom dahlia

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Etymology

Origin of pompom¹

First recorded in 1740–50; variant of pompon, with assimilation of final n

Origin of pompom²

First recorded in 1895–1900; imitative

Example Sentences

Hand-knitted from New Zealand wool by artisans in Nepal, this stripey cosy topped with a plucky pompom would sit quite comfortably on Miss Marple’s tea trolley.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025

Giant red pompom decorations are usually added to the furs.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 29, 2023

Within a week they will become fluffy white, with an internal structure like cauliflower and creamy white gills, called teeth, that cascade down in a shaggy pompom.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 10, 2022

The mother arrived first, her cane tapping as she crossed the parking lot, the pompom on her blue knit hat bobbing.

From Washington Post • Mar. 21, 2022

Daniel flipped open the lid on a crate and I pushed the pompom in.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan