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  • pow
    pow
    interjection
    (used to express or indicate a heavy blow or a loud, explosive noise.)
  • POW
    POW
    prisoner of war.
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.

Diplomatic sources told AFP that conditions are typically better in POW facilities than regular Ukrainian prisons.

From Barron's • Jan. 30, 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

At first Gerard appeared primarily in commercials, representing companies including Ford, Coca-Cola and Proctor & Gamble until he landed the role of former POW Dr. Alan Stewart on NBC’s “The Doctors.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 2025

McCain was suffering from brain cancer and had dealt with a lifetime of health challenges due to his injuries as a POW in the Vietnam War.

From Salon • Nov. 18, 2025

They sent him to the infamous Changi POW camp in Singapore.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

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.