ovation

noun

ova·​tion ō-ˈvā-shən 

1

: a ceremony attending the entering of Rome by a general who had won a victory of less importance than that for which a triumph was granted

2

: an expression or demonstration of popular acclaim especially by enthusiastic applause

received a standing ovation

Synonyms

• applause

Examples of ovation in a Sentence

He was welcomed by a warm ovation when he came out onto the stage.

received a standing ovation for the masterly performance

Recent Examples on the Web

The anticipated $120 million epic got a lengthy standing ovation and is being talked about as a major awards contender for Netflix. —Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 10 Oct. 2025

The pregame ovation for Jonathan Toews lasted so long that Haydn Fleury had to wait in the tunnel, biding his time before joining the Jets at centre ice. —Murat Ates, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025

The movie received a six-minute standing ovation at its Cannes Film Festival world premiere. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025

The standing ovations at Chanel for Matthieu Blazy, Dior for Jonathan Anderson, Pierpaolo Piccioli for Balenciaga and Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernando at Loewe brought so much love and connection. —Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin ovation-, ovatio, from ovare to exult; akin to Greek euoi, interjection used in bacchic revels

First Known Use

1533, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ovation

• standing ovation

Rhymes for ovation

• ablation
• bination
• carnation
• cassation
• castration
• causation
• centration
• cessation
• cetacean
• chelation
• citation
• collation

Kids Definition

ovation

noun

ova·​tion ō-ˈvā-shən 

: a public expression of praise : enthusiastic applause