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
Disney’s initial strategy was to wow consumers with an affordable price point on Disney+, which launched at $7 a month. Dade Hayes, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2025 And someone just comes out think, Oh, wow. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 19 Oct. 2025
Noun
Smoking your cocktails will give you the wow factor that ensures every get-together will be memorable. Bestreviews, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025 There is, of course, the wow factor of having Puck who, besides his culinary empire does the food for the Governors Ball, involved. Tom Tapp, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
Boise State football’s high-flying and speedy sophomore running back has wowed fans in 2025, emerging as the backfield guy who’s a home-run threat on nearly every carry. Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 19 Oct. 2025 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 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 25 Oct. 2025.

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