powerhouse

English

Etymology

power +‎ house

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

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Noun

powerhouse (plural powerhouses)

1. A power station; the building housing a power station
   • 1986, Donald R. Froelich, S. K. Wagner, Fourth International Symposium on Hydro Power Fluid Machinery:

     The new powerhouse comprised two tube turbines with a total capacity of 4,500 kW under 18.3 feet head.

2. (figurative) Any source of power, energy or strength; a source of influence or inspiration

   The company has been a powerhouse in its industry for many years.

   Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.

   She's a powerhouse of ideas.

   • 2016 August 25, Fareed Zakaria, “What the Olympics reveal about the world”, in The Washington Post‎^[1]:

     The Soviet Union often led the world in the Olympics during the Cold War, and East Germany was an Olympic powerhouse — though athletes from both are now believed to have been systematically and massively doped […]

   • 2023 April 11, Kurtis Lee, “California Economy Is on Edge After Tech Layoffs and Studio Cutbacks”, in The New York Times‎^[2], →ISSN:

     While the California economy maintains its powerhouse status, outranking even those of most countries, the state’s most-powerful sectors — including tech companies and supply chain logistics — have struggled to keep their footing, pummeled by high interest rates, investor skittishness, labor strife and other turmoil.

   • 2024 January 5, Jon Henley, “Why is Germany’s economy struggling – and can the government fix it?”, in The Guardian‎^[3], →ISSN:

     Long Europe’s powerhouse, Germany is struggling with a potent mix of short-term and deeper structural problems that – along with a divided and seemingly ineffectual government – have prompted economists to talk of the “sick man of Europe”.

   • 2024 February 4, “Celine Dion makes surprise appearance at Grammy awards”, in bbc.com‎^[4]:

     The vocal powerhouse has sold more than 250 million albums during her 40-year career and has won five Grammy awards.

3. (card games) A very good hand of cards, likely to win.
   • 2011, Richard D. Harroch, Lou Krieger, Poker For Dummies:

     A hand like A-2-3-4 is a powerhouse in Omaha/8, because it can easily make the best low hand and capture half the pot.

Translations

power station — see also power station

• Maori: whare huri hiko (of an electric power station)

source of power

• Czech: zdroj (cs) m, generátor (cs) m, motor (cs) m
• Dutch: krachtbron (nl) m or f
• Finnish: voimanlähde (fi), tehopakkaus, mahtitekijä, mahti (fi)
• Maori: mārohirohi (Referring to a person)
• Russian: исто́чник акти́вности m (istóčnik aktívnosti), мото́р (ru) m (motór), дви́жущая си́ла (ru) f (dvížuščaja síla)

card games: very good hand

• Finnish: voittokäsi

See also

• workhorse

References

• “powerhouse”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.