powerhouse

plural powerhouses

1. A power station; the building housing the core parts of a power station, such as the dynamo.

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

   1986, Donald R. Froelich, S. K. Wagner, Fourth International Symposium on Hydro Power Fluid Machinery

2. figurativelyAny source of power, energy or strength; a source of influence or inspiration.

   She's a powerhouse of ideas.

   5 more examples

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

   The mitochondrion is the powerhouse of the cell.

   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[…]

   2016 August 25, Fareed Zakaria, “What the Olympics reveal about the world”, in The Washington Post

   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.

   2023 April 11, Kurtis Lee, “California Economy Is on Edge After Tech Layoffs and Studio Cutbacks”, in The New York Times, →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 January 5, Jon Henley, “Why is Germany’s economy struggling – and can the government fix it?”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

3. PilatesThe muscles that give stability to the human torso and its relationship to the limb movements.

   Near-synonym: core

   Synonyms: core

4. card gamesA very good hand of cards, likely to win.

   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.

   2011, Richard D. Harroch, Lou Krieger, Poker For Dummies