powerhouse
Americannoun
plural
powerhouses-
Electricity. a generating station.
-
a person, group, team, or the like, having great energy, strength, or potential for success.
noun
-
an electrical generating station or plant
-
informal a forceful or powerful person or thing
Usage
What does powerhouse mean? A powerhouse is a powerful, forceful, or dominant person, group, or thing.In a literal sense, a powerhouse is a station or plant that generates electricity. Although it can still be used this way, terms like power plant and power station are much more common. Powerhouse is far more commonly used in the figurative way, especially in context of sports and business.Example: Because they always win, they can always recruit the best players, which makes them a perennial powerhouse in the conference.
Etymology
Origin of powerhouse
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.
They might still win the title next weekend but their Slam has gone, ripped from them by an extraordinary, powerhouse performance from the title-chasing Scots.
From BBC
But the speed and severity of Iran’s counterattacks across energy powerhouses lining the Persian Gulf caught many off guard.
The U.S. is India’s top market for goods exports, not to mention the generator of well over $100 billion annually in services sales by the IT powerhouses of Bengaluru.
From Barron's
The U.S. is India’s top market for goods exports, not to mention the generator of well over $100 billion annually in services sales by the IT powerhouses of Bengaluru.
From Barron's
Byrne, a native of the greater Sydney area, is vying for the best actress Oscar this month for her powerhouse role as an overwhelmed mother in "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You".
From Barron's
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.
