1A small woolen ball attached to a garment, especially a hat, for decoration.

1. 1.1A large round cluster of brightly colored streamers waved in pairs by cheerleaders.
   ‘Jumping around in a miniskirt, waving pompons when you're ten is cute; but when you're fifteen, well, it goes beyond cute.’
   More example sentences

   • ‘And Ms Mason, a partner at Sanderson's, stressed there was more to being a cheerleader than simply waving pompoms in the air.’
   • ‘Some of the crowd even stood as the players entered, some young girls flailing around with blue colored pompoms.’
   • ‘The cheerleaders came off the stage, shaking their pompoms in the excitement of a successful performance.’
   • ‘They were a crimson blur of pompoms, sneaker squeaks and smiles.’
   • ‘Give her some pigtails and pompoms and I think she could do it.’
   • ‘But I needed my friends, oh I needed them like a cheerleader needs pompoms.’
   • ‘It is as if we satisfy ourselves with shaking our pompoms and shouting ‘Gay Pride.’’
   • ‘Jessica had gotten into her perky attitude, and was waving her green and white pompoms in the air even when they weren't doing a choreographed cheer.’
   • ‘Kate dropped the pompoms and headed for the gym exit.’
   • ‘A close second goes to 49ers WR Terrell Owens, who has taken to dancing with pompoms after touchdowns.’
   • ‘The cheerleaders who were already occupying a big table in the center did the DSV cheer in their seats, waving their pompoms around noisily.’
   • ‘At one point, the school's cheerleading squad, complete with pink pompons, surrounded Borissov wanting a photograph with him.’
   • ‘Hometown crowds try to unnerve enemy shooters with rally towels, pompoms, clackers, rhythmic chants, balloons, and signs that say ‘BRICK.’’
   • ‘For the pretty 23-year-old used to be a rugby league cheerleader and regularly performed on the pitch with pompoms at home and away matches.’
   • ‘Suddenly, the bare-legged girls with pompoms, imported to pep up the pre-match business at the Premier League's earliest matches, look like a high point for the organisation's modesty and self-awareness.’
   • ‘For a lot of people, cheerleading immediately conjures images of American college girls, invariably blond and with perfect teeth, wearing cardigans and the team letter on their chest, and of course shaking pompoms.’
   • ‘But a few days before the contest the pompoms were found dumped in a garden - and the Red Hot Flames, who regularly appear at the Rugby League club's Willows ground, went on to win a national title at the Manchester Velodrome.’
   • ‘While schoolchildren with pompoms, dragon dancers, and toddlers in pink ballerina outfits stood in the centre of the field, the athletes, waving to the crowd, rode around the perimeter in small vehicles.’
   • ‘The stadium literally buzzed with proud mums and dads, brothers and sisters waving tinsel pompoms and cardboard placards, and schoolmates excitedly discussing how they would vote.’
2. 1.2A dahlia, chrysanthemum, or aster with small tightly clustered petals.
   as modifier ‘miniature, pompom, and border dahlias’
   More example sentences

   • ‘Small, miniature, and pompon dahlias should be about 2' apart.’
   • ‘Other China asters resemble pompons or peonies.’
   • ‘Double-petalled, bright lemon-yellow blossoms resembling pompoms grace the top of this very tall plant.’
   • ‘Some interesting flower forms of mums you can plant include those called buttons, spiders, pompoms, daisy-like, spoons, anemone, singles, doubles, and semi-doubles.’
   • ‘In pompons, many varieties are cataloged but I feel that the following will be very good for our particular purpose: Atom, Aimee, Betty Ann, Joe Fette, Reginald, Betty Malone, and Sherry.’
   • ‘Flower growers cut chrysanthemum blooms soon after the green colour disappeared from the centre of the flowers and harvested pompons when fully developed, but they gathered orchids only when the blooms were fully open.’
   • ‘The present serious damage to biodiversity comes from conventional invasive species like woody species, lantana, bugweed and pompom.’
   • ‘Contrast flower shapes as well, letting spiky, flat-topped, and pompom blooms play off each other.’
   • ‘Although they are largely pruned with secateurs (in the older, more traditional Kyoto style), the pompoms grow all the more densely when pruned mechanically with shears (in the Tokyo style).’

An automatic quick-firing two-pounder cannon of the World War II period, typically mounted on a ship and used against aircraft.