pow
pow Lexical Profile
pow Game Scores & Validity
• interjection
Used to imitate or express the sound of a sudden, sharp blow, impact, or explosion.
"The comic book panel showed the superhero striking the villain with a giant 'Pow!' across the page."
• noun
A prisoner of war; a combatant or service member captured and held in custody by an opposing force during an armed conflict (usually capitalized as POW).
"The historical museum features letters written home by a former POW during the Second World War."
A sudden, forceful blow, collision, or explosive sound.
"The tennis ball hit the back fence with a loud pow."
North American Freshly fallen, dry, loose snow ideal for skiing and snowboarding (slang clipping of powder).
"The snowboarders woke up at dawn to carve through the deep pow after the overnight blizzard."
Scottish A person's head or skull (a dialectal variant of poll).
"The elderly Highlander shook his frosty pow as he recounted tales of his youth."
• Rhymes for pow
Word Origin & Etymology
As an exclamation and sound-effect word, 'pow' is of imitative origin, first recorded in the late 16th century. In modern winter sports slang, it is a clipped form of 'powder' (fresh, dry snow), and when capitalized as 'POW', it serves as an initialism for 'prisoner of war'.