wow

1 of 4

interjection

used to express strong feeling (such as pleasure or surprise)

wow

2 of 4

noun (1)

: a striking success : hit

wow

3 of 4

verb

wowed; wowing; wows

transitive verb

: to excite to enthusiastic admiration or approval
a performance that wowed the critics

wow

4 of 4

noun (2)

: a distortion in reproduced sound consisting of a slow rise and fall of pitch caused by speed variation in the reproducing system

Examples of wow in a Sentence

Verb Her performance wowed the critics.
Recent Examples on the Web
Interjection
Want to bake up a breakfast treat that will wow some overnight guests, or treat the family to something special? Joseph Lee, Country Living, 8 Sep. 2023 Finally, Krawiec convinced Bill to have a CCS and wow! Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 8 Sep. 2023 In Parchment This sophisticated seafood supper is sure to wow your sweetheart. Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2023 Choir students wow with impromptu national anthem performance In: Tennessee Steve Hartman Steve Hartman has been a CBS News correspondent since 1998, having served as a part-time correspondent for the previous two years. Steve Hartman, CBS News, 2 Sep. 2023 Temperatures will be a bit warmer, and the stunning colors of Yellowstone's aspens and cottonwoods will make your photos sure to wow. Josh Laskin, Travel + Leisure, 30 Aug. 2023 During the workshop, a host will provide step-by-step instructions on how to complete the project and wow all your friends with the finished masterpiece. Renee Freemon Mulvihill, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Aug. 2023 Garnish with a fresh corn topping to really wow your family. 23 Chocolate-Cinnamon Latte Cake Made with coffee, cocoa, and cake mix, this easy dessert is perfect for coffee lovers. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 28 Aug. 2023 The icing on the cake is dew points around 50 degrees — wow. A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2023
Noun
The rise of bleachers alongside the court was packed, and the oohs and wows accompanying each of Shelton’s blasts—even his faults—created a steady murmur of astonishment. Gerald Marzorati, The New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2023 Star of the game: Flowers avoided the negative plays and still had the wow moments, finishing with 254 yards passing and 66 yards rushing. John Vella, al, 25 Aug. 2023 Both designers cautioned against incorporating video design into a show solely to crank up the wow factor of gee-whiz technology. Gordon Cox, Variety, 5 Sep. 2023 Asking the bot to be more conversational in its response or asking it to add a sarcastic joke can go a long way, but its essays still seem to be missing the wow factor. Paige Hagy, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2023 Braves acquire Nicky Lopez IF from the Royals for Taylor Hearn LHP This trade didn’t register on the wow meter. Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2023 Anyone who sees it will instantly appreciate its ‘wow’ factor and know that there really was no expense spared. Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 10 May 2023 Creating a podcast set with the wow factor feels near impossible without an audio engineering background, production experience, or interior design skills. Jodie Cook, Forbes, 5 May 2023 And the newness of that and the wow factor of that is what’s going to be the thing, not the concept of the multiverse itself. Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 6 June 2023
Verb
The trick wows his small audience, but the presentation is still a tad rough. Billy Baker, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Aug. 2023 The second band, the Mums, from Lynchburg, Virginia, wowed me with their grungy, riot girl energy and tight sound. Jackson Landers, Spin, 14 Aug. 2023 Advertisement - Continue Reading Below June 19, 2010 Crown Princess Victoria wowed on her wedding day to Prince Daniel in a simple white silhouette with an impressive train. Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, 13 Aug. 2023 Many of the generative A.I. use cases that have wowed the public in recent months—if delivered with sufficient safety and guardrails—will be truly value-additive to our ability to get work done. Jim Stratton, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2023 The Middle-earth fantasy drama wowed Emmy voters with its craft- work, scoring nominations in main-title design, prosthetic makeup, fantasy/sci-fi costumes, sound editing, special visual effects and original main-title theme music. Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 5 Aug. 2023 The couple also wowed on the carpet at the 2023 Academy Awards. Ilana Frost, Peoplemag, 26 Aug. 2023 We were wowed by the power and portability of this mighty mini vacuum that weighed in at just over one pound. Carolyn Forté, Good Housekeeping, 15 Aug. 2023 Use these expert tips to achieve a monochromatic look that wows without overwhelming. Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

imitative

First Known Use

Interjection

1513, in the meaning defined above

Noun (1)

1920, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1924, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1932, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wow was in 1513

Dictionary Entries Near wow

Cite this Entry

“Wow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wow. Accessed 21 Sep. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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