aha moment

noun

variants or less commonly Aha moment
: a moment of sudden realization, inspiration, insight, recognition, or comprehension
The aha moment you experience when you've been trying to remember the name of a song and three hours later it hits you …Jeffrey Kluger

Note: Aha is sometimes followed by an exclamation point and is also often placed in quotation marks.

That was the "Aha!" moment … that made the befuddlement worthwhile.Robin Marantz Henig
Her "aha" moment came about two years ago …Emily Weinstein

Examples of aha moment in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The journalist might feel the need to wrest some hot information from the subject, or find some aha moment and then the subject gets their guard up. Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2026 As Mercury aligns with the North Node, an aha moment offers closure AND a fresh start. Usa Today, USA Today, 12 Feb. 2026 Director Ellenstein had the aha moment earlier this decade of contriving a work about Eisenhower and the accomplished playwright and Orange County native, Richard Hellesen, took on the task of writing it. Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 20 Jan. 2026 For Cardenas, health issues led to her alcohol aha moment. Lisa Shames, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for aha moment

Word History

First Known Use

1931, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of aha moment was in 1931

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Cite this Entry

“Aha moment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aha%20moment. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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