1
: a show of magnificence : splendor
every day begins … in a pomp of flaming coloursF. D. Ommanney
2
: a ceremonial or festival display (such as a train of followers or a pageant)
3
a
: ostentatious display : vainglory
b
: an ostentatious gesture or act

Examples of pomp in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web What better way to wish him well, and to register our scorn at the treacherous flow of time, than to behold him in his pomp? Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2024 Ileana Von Hirsch, Five Star Greece Need a villa worthy of Onassis in his pomp? The Editors, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2024 Image The original Dragon’s Dogma, from 2012, married robust combat with slow, methodical adventuring and baroque, anime-esque pomp. Lewis Gordon, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024 But—as the frankly silly breadsticks foreshadowed—the pomp of the place never lapses into tedium. Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2024 Oscars The 96th Academy Awards delivered both pomp and politics during Sunday night’s ceremony. Alexandra Banner, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 The city of puritan cant, left-wing pomp, and the meanest ... Brian T. Allen, National Review, 4 Jan. 2024 What follows is a haunting collection of dirges and hymns that fuses the high points of his career: the symphonic pomp of 2005's Illinois, the electronic maximalism of 2010's The Age of Adz, and the spartan folk of 2015's Carrie & Lowell, a work inspired by the death of his mother. Jason Lamphier, EW.com, 13 Dec. 2023 The event is high on pomp and ceremony, and also on control: Traffic is rerouted and security is dramatically tightened. Christian Shepherd, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pomp.' 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

Middle English, from Anglo-French pompe, from Latin pompa procession, pomp, from Greek pompē act of sending, escort, procession, pomp, from pempein to send

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pomp was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near pomp

Cite this Entry

“Pomp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pomp. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

pomp

noun
1
: a show of magnificence : splendor
the pomp of a royal ceremony
2
: showy display

More from Merriam-Webster on pomp

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