Definition of PONZU

Did You Know?

The word ponzu is relatively new to English; our earliest English-language evidence of the word - which we borrowed from Japanese - is from 1972. But the word's history isn't as simple as that fact suggests. The Japanese word, which literally means "juice squeezed from sour oranges" is itself from the Dutch word pons. And "pons" comes from (and shares the meaning of) the English word punch as it's used to refer to the beverage concoction that's often served at parties, weddings, and wakes.

Examples of ponzu in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One brings a Mediterranean flair with roasted red peppers, kalamata olives and tarragon, and the other has subtle hints of Japan with ponzu and radishes. — Emily Spicer, ExpressNews.com, "Give your potato salad a global upgrade this cookout season," 4 June 2019 Most order them plain, with a dipping sauce, but get crazy if the mood strikes: More inventive versions come smothered in cheese sauce or radish ponzu, sprinkled with truffle salt, or stuffed with peperoncini, plum, and shiso. — Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, "Loud, Crowded, Grease-Stained, and Gloriously Drunk: Where the World Eats After Hours," 8 Oct. 2018 The cuisine is actually new American with some decidedly Asian influences, as evidenced by its robata grill menu (think Kobe beef, cooked tableside, with garlic wafu, truffle aioli, yuzu soy, and ponzu sauce). — Jennifer M. Wood, Condé Nast Traveler, "19 Best Restaurants in Miami," 2 Mar. 2018 What to cook: Dip the peppers in a light tempura batter and fry, serving the simple dish alongside a bowl of ponzu sauce. — Noelle Carter, latimes.com, "Tempura, salsa and more great ideas for shishito peppers, now in season," 6 July 2018 Crawdads 1375 Garden Highway What's new: A half-dozen dishes recently joined the menu, such as ahi nachos with ponzu and macadamia nuts, grilled cheese with crab claw meat, and a Creole burrito with cod, andouille sausage and crawdads. — Allen Pierleoni, sacbee, "Where to go for fun and food along Sacramento's Garden Highway," 18 May 2018 Serve immediately with ponzu sauce for dipping. Adapted from www.earthydelights.com. — Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, "Shishito peppers: Saute, roast, grill them. (Don't worry about seeds)," 5 June 2018 As depicted, the yellowtail sashimi glows a rosy pink thanks to a delicate film of ponzu. — Mike Sula, Chicago Reader, "Radio Anago is Brendan Sodikoff’s sushi cave under the deep dark sea . . .," 3 May 2018 What's new: A half-dozen dishes recently joined the menu, such as ahi nachos with ponzu and macadamia nuts, grilled cheese with crab claw meat, and a Creole burrito with cod, andouille sausage and crawdads. — Al Pierleoni, sacbee, "Where to go for fun and food along Sacramento's Garden Highway | The Sacramento Bee," 18 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ponzu.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.