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.

---

pompom ² American  

[pom-pom] / ˈpɒmˌpɒm /

Or pom-pom

noun

1. an automatic antiaircraft cannon.

---

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

---

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

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

A woman waved her burgundy and gold pompom as the friend walking beside her clapped and screamed.

From Washington Post • Oct. 23, 2022

The video of the pompom dancers ends with a group of people tending to one of the girls who is on the ground.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 21, 2021

Her hair was pulled back in a loose bun that bounced like a pompom on a toque as she ran.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline