pomp

noun

ˈpämp 

1

: a show of magnificence : splendor

every day begins … in a pomp of flaming colours

—F. 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

And too much pomp, of the sort that is inextricable from a victory lap like this one, can threaten to kill the anarchic spirit of a show that thrives on spontaneity. —Judy Berman, TIME, 17 Feb. 2025

The rowdy pomp and ceremony that accompanies a wedding march, meanwhile, is pointedly shown as not all that different from the film’s funeral processions — each soundtracked by the juddering snap and pop of cheap firecrackers. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 14 Feb. 2025

Would love to know what these career eccentrics make of the pomp and pageantry of the Grammys. —August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2025

Day 2 of the second Trump administration contained a less pomp but continued circumstance. —The Hill, 21 Jan. 2025

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

Phrases Containing pomp

• pomp and circumstance

Kids Definition

pomp

noun

ˈpämp 

1

: a show of magnificence : splendor

the pomp of a royal ceremony

2

: showy display