pom-pom

1 of 2

noun (1)

1
: an ornamental ball or tuft used especially on clothing, caps, or costumes
2
: a handheld usually brightly colored fluffy ball flourished by cheerleaders

pom-pom

2 of 2

noun (2)

: an automatic antiaircraft gun of 20 to 40 millimeters mounted especially on ships

Examples of pom-pom in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Once the camera started rolling, Kotb and Bush Hager, 42, were greeted by two rows of kids welcoming them with cheerleading pom-poms. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 28 Feb. 2024 Charity rocks some pom-poms | Credit: ABC Too adorable. Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 18 July 2023 Catie, who also coaches the school's Spirit Squad and is often found dancing in the hallways, adds that the entire school lined the corridors with gleaming silver pom-poms, while uplifting music filled the speaker system. Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 9 Feb. 2024 To make: Draw the bunny face on a circle of cardstock (trace around a glass) with a pom-pom nose glued on. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Feb. 2024 Taking one last page out of Swift’s style book, Earle layered an oversize, vintage Dolphins jacket over her chic look and topped it all off with a pom-pom hat, which paired perfectly with her wavy blonde hair. Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 15 Jan. 2024 Although her brother Rob Kardashian’s gifts didn’t make it into her initial snap, Kim made sure to shout him out by including an Instagram Story post that revealed golden paper adorned with cartoon snowmen and tied with festive chains of mini red pom-poms. Jenny Haward, Peoplemag, 24 Dec. 2023 Take an afternoon to drink cocoa and make a bright selection of paper ornaments, or create a garland fashioned out of pom-poms. Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Dec. 2023 In addition to its multicolored, oversized pom-pom, the hat scores style points with a heavy cable knit, a ribbed cuff, and tricolor designs with stripes in shades ranging from orange to purple. Jessica MacDonald, Travel + Leisure, 8 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pom-pom.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

alteration of pompon

Noun (2)

imitative; from the sound of its discharge

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1873, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1940, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pom-pom was in 1873

Dictionary Entries Near pom-pom

Cite this Entry

“Pom-pom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pom-pom. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pom-pom

noun
ˈpäm-ˌpäm
1
: a fluffy ball used as trimming on clothing
2
: a handheld usually brightly colored fluffy ball waved by cheerleaders

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