power cycle vt. (also, `cycle power' or just `cycle') To power off a machine and then power it on immediately, with the intention of clearing some kind of hung or gronked state. Syn. 120 reset; see also Big Red Switch. Compare Vulcan nerve pinch, bounce (sense 4), and boot, and see the AI Koan in "A Selection of AI Koans" (in {Appendix A}) about Tom Knight and the novice.