Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

poobah

/ˈpuːbɑː/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.52 in modern English

Syllables
poobah
IPA
/ˈpuːbɑː/
13
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A person who holds multiple offices or positions of power at the same time.

noun

A leader or other important person.

noun

A pompous, self-important person.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Pooh-Bah, a comic character in the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta The Mikado (1885), formed as pooh + bah, both expressing contempt. The character of W. S. Gilbert's libretto is preceded by the character Pish-Tush-Pooh-Bah (described as “haughty”) in “King Borriah Bungalee Boo” (1866), one of the Bab Ballads, with pish and tush being two other terms of contempt.

Inflected Forms

poobahs (plural) pooh bah (alternative) pooh-bah (alternative) poo bah (alternative) poo-bah (alternative)

Phrases

grand poobah dual mandate

Frequently Paired Words

dual mandate nabob tycoon

Homonyms

poo bah poo-bah pooh-bah pooh bah

Questions

How do you pronounce poobah?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpuːbɑː/.
What does poobah mean?
A person who holds multiple offices or positions of power at the same time.
Where does poobah come from?
From Pooh-Bah, a comic character in the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta The Mikado (1885), formed as pooh + bah, both expressing contempt. The character of W. S. Gilbert's libretto is preceded by the character Pish-Tush-Pooh-Bah (described as “haughty”) in “King Borriah Bungalee Boo” (1866), one of the Bab Ballads, with pish and tush being two other terms of contempt.

How to pronounce poobah

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “poobah”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈpuːbɑː/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “poobah”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “poobah” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.