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
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.
Interjection
Or is this all just another big distraction to wow eyeballs in between Star Wars, Marvel and fill-in-the-blank franchise entries? David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2025 Which … wow, that’s a lot of recent Phillies playoff action … shoutout to former Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski, now running the show in Philadelphia. Ryan Ford, Freep.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Noun
As for relaxation, the four-story, 103,000-square-foot spa and wellness center features a hydrothermal experience that has a wow factor. Sarah Sekula, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025 However, none of the wow factor will be lost — this will be a very close conjunction easily visible to the naked eye from across North America. Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
The film starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal premiered at Telluride in late August and and wowed Toronto a week later, going on to win its predictive People’s Choice Award. Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025 His speed is serviceable but wouldn’t leave anyone wowed. David Ubben, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for wow

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wow. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.

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