—used to express strong feeling (such as pleasure or surprise)
wowed; wowing; wows
: to excite to enthusiastic admiration or approval
a performance that wowed the critics
: 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
Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
With height limits and historical preservation restrictions, new housing is generally more meh than wow.
—Amy Worden, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
Whether cool demos that wow investors today translate into thriving companies years down the road, of course, remains to be seen.
—Steve Mollman, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2024
Paster and Blunt, who’ve been collaborating for 18 years, also served up attention-grabbing red for the star’s stellar Oppenheimer run, including a wow moment with crimson Armani Privé sequins and Tiffany & Co. jewels for the Critics Choice Awards.
—Carol McColgin, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Mar. 2024
Its first season, arriving Thursday, wrestles Liu’s inventions and physics explainers onto the screen with visual grandeur, thrills and wow moments.
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024
While his moves may not necessarily wow the folks at Gruene Hall, not a single drop from his beverage spilled, which is a pretty impressive feat.
—Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 17 Mar. 2024
Certain robots come ready to wow kids out of the box, while in the cases of other models, putting them together is part of the fun.
—Julie Evans, Parents, 12 Mar. 2024
Both Thailand and Philippines have seen major international music acts pass through recently and wow fans, including Coldplay.
—Kathleen Magramo, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024
Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 25 Mar. 2024
All the same, none of the quarterbacks here put together the kind of ‘wow’ performance that will cause teams to radically change their views.
—Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 4 Feb. 2024
Moussaieff high jewelry earrings and an Omega watch added to the the wow factor.
—Jackie Fields, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024
O’Brian, a real-life bodybuilder and Hapkido black belt and a former cop, packs more onscreen wow factor than any fantastical CG super suit.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024
Swiatek has a way of sneaking up on the big prizes without a huge amount of the wow factor.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
A lot of times in fashion, the wow factor or the theatricality of a show can be in how someone creates volume.
—Laia Garcia-Furtado, Vogue, 15 Feb. 2024
The real wow factor, though, is a great room on the rear that’s flooded with natural light.
—Cynthia Billhartz Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2024
This arched full-length mirror will instantly add the wow factor to any room.
—Claire Rutter, Rolling Stone, 22 Jan. 2024
Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Scout wowed in a strapless hot pink dress with a black lace overlay and black tights.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
For the Saturday morning photo call, Zendaya wowed in a coat printed with the house's iconic checkerboard pattern—specifically, an apple green version from the spring/summer 2013 collection.
—Valentine Servant-Ulgu, Glamour, 6 Apr. 2024
Tucked behind gates, the notably boxy, tri-level residence will wow guests with its three-story foyer.
—James McClain, Robb Report, 8 Mar. 2024
This almost iridescent blonde will wow against a summer glow.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 8 Apr. 2024
Plus, guests will be wowed by electrifying sounds and beats from world-class acts in dance and house music.
—Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 28 Mar. 2024
The look was doubly wowing: her tennis-court green dress was custom Loewe (unsurprising, as she's loved by the fashion world) but the beauty came was a total smash.
—Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 26 Mar. 2024
Grande wowed in pale pink custom Giambattista Valli Haute Couture, with poofy sleeves that seemed to emulate Glinda's signature looks.
—Lindsay Kimble, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024
Interjection
Loved looking at these pic down thru the years—wow!
—Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
With height limits and historical preservation restrictions, new housing is generally more meh than wow.
—Amy Worden, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
Whether cool demos that wow investors today translate into thriving companies years down the road, of course, remains to be seen.
—Steve Mollman, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2024
Paster and Blunt, who’ve been collaborating for 18 years, also served up attention-grabbing red for the star’s stellar Oppenheimer run, including a wow moment with crimson Armani Privé sequins and Tiffany & Co. jewels for the Critics Choice Awards.
—Carol McColgin, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Mar. 2024
Its first season, arriving Thursday, wrestles Liu’s inventions and physics explainers onto the screen with visual grandeur, thrills and wow moments.
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024
While his moves may not necessarily wow the folks at Gruene Hall, not a single drop from his beverage spilled, which is a pretty impressive feat.
—Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 17 Mar. 2024
Certain robots come ready to wow kids out of the box, while in the cases of other models, putting them together is part of the fun.
—Julie Evans, Parents, 12 Mar. 2024
Both Thailand and Philippines have seen major international music acts pass through recently and wow fans, including Coldplay.
—Kathleen Magramo, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024
Noun
This optical illusion is one of several wow factors, but mostly the yacht overwhelms with quiet luxury.
—Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 25 Mar. 2024
All the same, none of the quarterbacks here put together the kind of ‘wow’ performance that will cause teams to radically change their views.
—Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 4 Feb. 2024
Moussaieff high jewelry earrings and an Omega watch added to the the wow factor.
—Jackie Fields, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024
O’Brian, a real-life bodybuilder and Hapkido black belt and a former cop, packs more onscreen wow factor than any fantastical CG super suit.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024
Swiatek has a way of sneaking up on the big prizes without a huge amount of the wow factor.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
A lot of times in fashion, the wow factor or the theatricality of a show can be in how someone creates volume.
—Laia Garcia-Furtado, Vogue, 15 Feb. 2024
The real wow factor, though, is a great room on the rear that’s flooded with natural light.
—Cynthia Billhartz Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2024
This arched full-length mirror will instantly add the wow factor to any room.
—Claire Rutter, Rolling Stone, 22 Jan. 2024
Verb
Entertainment & Arts Review: Ed Ruscha show wowed in New York.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Scout wowed in a strapless hot pink dress with a black lace overlay and black tights.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
For the Saturday morning photo call, Zendaya wowed in a coat printed with the house's iconic checkerboard pattern—specifically, an apple green version from the spring/summer 2013 collection.
—Valentine Servant-Ulgu, Glamour, 6 Apr. 2024
Tucked behind gates, the notably boxy, tri-level residence will wow guests with its three-story foyer.
—James McClain, Robb Report, 8 Mar. 2024
This almost iridescent blonde will wow against a summer glow.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 8 Apr. 2024
Plus, guests will be wowed by electrifying sounds and beats from world-class acts in dance and house music.
—Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 28 Mar. 2024
The look was doubly wowing: her tennis-court green dress was custom Loewe (unsurprising, as she's loved by the fashion world) but the beauty came was a total smash.
—Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 26 Mar. 2024
Grande wowed in pale pink custom Giambattista Valli Haute Couture, with poofy sleeves that seemed to emulate Glinda's signature looks.
—Lindsay Kimble, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024
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.
Dictionary Entries Near wow
Cite this Entry
“Wow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wow. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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