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Synonyms

pow

1 American  
[pou] / paʊ /

interjection

  1. (used to express or indicate a heavy blow or a loud, explosive noise.)

noun

  1. a heavy blow or a loud, explosive noise.

  2. the power of exciting.

adjective

  1. exciting and appealing.

pow 2 American  
[poh, pou] / poʊ, paʊ /

noun

Scot. and North England.

  1. the head; poll.

POW 3 American  
Or P.O.W.

  1. prisoner of war.

POW 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. prisoner of war

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
pow 2 British  
/ paʊ /

interjection

  1. an exclamation imitative of a collision, explosion, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
pow 3 British  
/ paʊ /

noun

  1. the head or a head of hair

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
pow 4 British  
/ paʊ /

noun

  1. a creek or slow stream

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

His heart seemed to speed up and then — pow — he was drenched in sweat.

From New York Times • Mar. 9, 2023

His wife, Jenna Dramise, also posted on Instagram, saying “tonight I hope to ride some pow or bikes with you in my dreams.”

From Seattle Times • Jan. 30, 2023

"Toy soldiers, all that jazz. Even now I'm like, 'pow, pow, pow,' on the tour bus."

From BBC • Sep. 4, 2022

And the first thing that happened, I threw a jab, pow, and my hands were still there.

From Washington Post • Apr. 21, 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

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.