pow

¹

[ pou ]

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

[ poh, pou ]

noun

, Scot. and North England.

1. the head; poll.

POW

³

or P.O.W.

1. prisoner of war.

pow

¹

/ paʊ /

noun

1. a creek or slow stream

pow

²

/ paʊ /

interjection

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

POW

³

abbreviation for

1. prisoner of war

pow

⁴

/ paʊ /

noun

1. the head or a head of hair

Word History and Origins

Origin of pow¹

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

Origin of pow²

First recorded in 1715–25; variant of poll ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of pow¹

C15: from earlier Scots poll

Origin of pow²

a Scot variant of poll

Example Sentences

Vitalii Matviienko, another Ukrainian official from the POW headquarters, said there were days when the exchanges didn’t happen because the Russian side would change their mind at the last minute.

From Seattle Times

“We rewrote our script and set it in a German POW camp in about two days.”

From Seattle Times

Ukraine has regularly opened its main POW camp to the Red Cross, the United Nations and international journalists.

From Seattle Times

“They may not even have been alive when that service member was alive, but that story gets carried down through the generations,” said Carrie Brown, a Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency lab manager at Offutt.

From Seattle Times

Her father was a POW in Germany for 21 months during World War II and her husband is a disabled Vietnam War veteran.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• clout
• courage
• durability
• energy
• firmness
• fortitude
• health
• power
• stability
• tenacity
• toughness
• vigor
• vitality