Do you know the definition of wow? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word wow, including its definition, etymology, usage, example sentences, and more!
What does the word wow mean?
According to Collins English Dictionary and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, the word wow is an exclamation and interjection that someone will use if they are impressed, surprised or pleased. It can also be sued as a verb to mean to arouse enthusiasm. The pronunciation of wow is waʊ. Wow has a positive connotation and implies a pleasurable effect. Someone could say:
Wow! I did not expect the election in America in November to go that way – then again, the Scots election in September surprised me too.
The song by the student at Princeton University is a real wow. It made my heart flutter.
Wow, I can’t believe our professor dinged me for not using APA style in the bibliography of my essay on the silvery gibbon.
The word wow can also be used as a noun to refer to the slow variation, distortion in pitch, or slow wavering of pitch of a sound recording that can occur at low audio frequencies in certain types of sound-reproducing systems, such as a record player, usually due to a variation in speed of the recording or uneven speed of the turntable to alter the pitch of a sound reproduction. Someone might say wow in response to a joke, or use the term wow effect to refer to something cool like virtual reality.
There are many other languages that contain words meaning wow. You might notice that many of these words look and sound similarly to one another. These are called cognates, which are words and phrases that mean the same thing as well as look and sound similar across languages. This often happens when the two words or languages share a common Greek or Latin root or language of origin like Latin or Greek. This list of translations for the word wow is provided by Word Sense.
- Russian: ого́, ого́ (ohó), ничего́ себе́! (ničevó sebé!), ба, ишь ты, на́до же, обалде́ть, ва́у (neologism), здо́рово, ух ты, офиге́ть, охуе́ть (vulgar), пизде́ц (vulgar), пфф
- Finnish: vau!, o-ho!
- Hebrew: ואו (waw)
- French: ouah!, oh!
- Persian: وه (vah), به (bah)
- Spanish: guau, guao
- German: wow, boah
- Khmer: ចុម (chom), វ៉វ់ (vorv)
- Thai: ว้าว (waaw)
- Portuguese: uau, uia, nossa
- Latin: hui!
- Malay: wau, wah
- Korean: 와
- Icelandic: vá
- Japanese: わあ (wā), すごい
- Hungarian: hűha!, tyű!, tyűha!, ejha!
- Mandarin: 哇塞 (wāsài), 哇 (wā), 哎呀 (āiyā)
- Hiligaynon: aba
- Armenian: մաման-ծաղկաման
- Maori: ānana, ēhe, anō
- Dutch: wauw
- Turkish: vay, vay canına
According to The Free Dictionary, the word WOW can also be used as an abbreviation or slang term on sites like Facebook and Twitter. While these are all still valid definitions, they are far less common and should be used sparingly to eliminate any confusion. If you do plan to use one of these different definitions for the acronym WOW, ensure that you are providing the reader or listener with the proper context to be able to decipher your intended meaning. This should be standard practice with any shorthand that can have more than one definition. Use the full form if you are uncertain.
- Wendy O Williams (singer of the Plasmatics)
- Women of Worldnet
- World of Warcraft (game)
- World of Wearable Arts (New Zealand)
- Warriors of Wellness (American Cancer Society Relay for Life Team)
- Wild on Wednesdays
- World of Work
- Wise Ordering for Writes
- World of Wonder
- Writers on Writing (various organizations)
- Who Offers What (various organizations)
- World Organization of Webmasters
- Workstation on Wheels
- Workers of the World
- Wide Open World
- Workshop on Workshops
- Whining Old Woman
- Wish Only Well
- Waukesha-Ozaukee-Washington (Wisconsin)
- Words of Wisdom
- Wildlife on Wheels
- Women of Weight
- Walk on Walls (Jedi Knight game mod)
- Whip ’em Out Wednesdays (Opie & Anthony radio show)
- World of Words (Tucson, AZ)
- Windows On Windows
- Wonderful Outstanding Worker (various organizations)
- Women on Women
- Women of Worship (various locations)
- Women of Wrestling
- Warehouse on Wheels (various organizations)
- Web-Oracle-Web
- Wayne, Oakland, Washtenaw (Michigan)
- World of Wackiness (Japanese video game)
- Wonders of the World
- Wakefield Orchestral Wind (UK)
- War on Waste
- Women of Willow Grove (Willow Grove, PA)
- Watch Our Words, Inc (Baltimore, MD)
- Way Out Wineries (Texas)
- Worst of the Worst (Shainin Strategies)
- World of Water
- World Orphan Week (SOS Children’s Villages)
- Wonders of Wildlife (various locations)
- Women Organising the World
- Way Oracle Works (software)
- Women’s Ordination Worldwide
- What’s on Where? (Ireland)
- Women of Worth
- Worlds of Wayne (podcast)
- Watch Out for Wildlife Awareness Week (California)
- Washington On Wheels (Washington Hospital Healthcare System, California Mobile Health Clinic)
- With or Without (gaming)
- Waiting On Weather
- Wanted on Warrant (law enforcement)
- Woolworths
- Walks on Water
- Windows on Windows Layer
- Water-In-Oil-In-Water (emulsions)
- World Ocean Watch
- Will-O-Wisp (gaming)
- Wife of Widower
- Ways of Working (various organizations)
- William of Wales (Prince William of UK)
- WideOpenWest
- White Open Weave (bandage)
- World of Wonders
- Women Office Workers
- Week of War (gaming tournaments)
- Walk Out Working (device configuration, especially mobile phones)
- Wider Opportunities for Women
- Week of Welcome
- Woody’s Office Watch
- Work on Weekends
- World of Wrestling (magazine)
- Women Online Worldwide
- Windows on Win32
- Weak of Wanting (band)
- Weight On Wheels
- Way of Work (Oslo, Norway)
- Whip ’em Out Wednesday (radio promotion)
- Web Object Wrapper
- Words on the Web (online literary magazine)
- Windows on the World (IBM internal database)
- Words on Work (Canadian women’s speaker bureau)
- Wines of Washington
- Word of Wisdom (LDS church)
- Women On Wheels (motorcyclist organization)
- Wade Oval Wednesdays (Ohio)
- War of the Worlds
- Weigh on the Way (Pitney Bowes’ automated inline mailpiece weighing system)
- Week Over Week (marketing)
- Walk Our Way (mall walking club)
- Waldorf Online World
- Women of Works (civic organization)
- Wise Older Women (email newsletter)
- Wonderful Open-hearted Wagon (Toyota)
- Wonder of Wonders
- Wall of Worry
- Worship of Wicca
- Weight Off Workout (exercise video)
- Warehousing of Wisconsin (Appleton, WI)
- West Orange Warrior (West Orange High School, Florida)
- Word Other Word (password creation technique)
- World of Wisdom (astrology)
- Walk Out Window (access Hatch on outside shell of storage tank)
- Women of the Wall (est. 1988)
- Wizards of Words (Queen Creek, AZ writers group)
- Woodmen of the World
Overall, the word wow means an exclamation of surprise.
Sources:
- Wow definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
- WOW – What does WOW stand for? | The Free Dictionary
- wow: meaning, origin, translation | Word Sense
Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do’s and don’ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.
See also: WoW
English[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
Attested since the 16th century; borrowed from Scots wow; ultimately a natural exclamation.
Pronunciation[edit]
- enPR: wou, IPA(key): /waʊ̯/
- Rhymes: -aʊ
Interjection[edit]
wow
- An indication of excitement, surprise, astonishment, or pleasure.
-
Wow, I sure was surprised!
- 1513, Gavin Douglas, Virgil Æneid (translation) vi. Prol. 19:
- Out on thir wanderand spiritis, wow! thow cryis.
-
- An expression of amazement, awe, or admiration.
-
Wow! How do they do that?
-
- Used sarcastically to express disapproval of something.
-
Wow… good job using all of our supplies on the first day.
-
Synonyms[edit]
- See also Thesaurus:wow
Derived terms[edit]
- wowzer, wowser
- wowsers
- wowzah
- wowee
Translations[edit]
excitement
- Afrikaans: sjoe (af)
- Arabic:
- Hijazi Arabic: وي (way), وَه (wah), واو (wāw)
- Armenian: ջա՜ն, հրաշալի է (ǰa!n, hrašali ē)
- Assamese: আও (aü), বাঃ (bao)
- Catalan: vaja (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 哇 (zh) (wà), 呀 (zh) (yà), 啊 (zh) (à)
- Esperanto: ŭaŭ
- Estonian: vau
- Finnish: vau! (fi), oho (fi)
- French: waouh (fr), ouah (fr), oh là là (fr)
- Georgian: ვაშა (vaša)
- German: toll! (de), boah! (de), Junge! (de) m, Mensch! (de) m
- Greek:
- Ancient: βαβαί (babaí)
- Hiligaynon: abá
- Hindi: वाह (hi) (vāh)
- Hungarian: ejha! (hu), hűha!, hű (hu), tyűha!, tyű!, azta!, húha, hú (hu), fú (hu), azt a mindenit
- Italian: accipicchia (it), accidenti (it), per tutti i diavoli, per la miseria, incredibile (it), perbacco (it)
- Japanese: うわ (ja) (uwa), わあ (wā), ワオ (wao)
- Korean: 우와 (uwa), 와 (ko) (wa), 와우 (wau)
- Ladin: putega, bestia, ma ies’a mat
- Latin: papae
- Macedonian: леле (mk) (lele)
- Malay: wau
- Maori: ānana, ēhe
- Navajo: doo lá dóʼ da
- Persian: وه (fa) (vah), به (fa) (bah)
- Polish: wow! (pl), o rany
- Portuguese: uau (pt), uia, nossa (pt)
- Romanian: uau
- Russian: ух ты́ (ru) (ux tý), ва́у (ru) (váu) (neologism), ура́ (ru) (urá)
- Spanish: ¡guau! (es), ¡guao! (es), hala (es), arrea (es), atiza (es), órale (es)
- Swedish: oj (sv)
- Turkish: vay (tr), vay canına
- Urdu: واہ (ur) (vāh), وا (vā)
- Walloon: oufti (wa), ayayay (wa)
- Welsh: waw
- Yoruba: ọmọ!
- Zazaki: way caro
amazement
- Afrikaans: sjoe (af)
- Armenian: մաման-ծաղկաման (maman-całkaman)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 哇塞 (zh) (wāsài), 哇 (zh) (wā), 哎呀 (zh) (āiyā)
- Dutch: wauw (nl)
- Esperanto: ŭaŭ
- Finnish: vau (fi), oho (fi), jukoliste (fi)
- French: ouah (fr), oh (fr)
- German: wow (de), boah (de)
- Greek:
- Ancient: βαβαί (babaí)
- Hebrew: ואו (waw)
- Hiligaynon: abá
- Hindi: वाह (hi) (vāh)
- Hungarian: ejha! (hu), hűha!, hű (hu), tyűha!, tyű!, azta!, húha, hú (hu), fú (hu), azt a mindenit
- Icelandic: vá
- Italian: uao
- Japanese: わあ (wā), すごい！ (ja) (sugoi)
- Khmer: ចុម (chom), វ៉វ់ (vorv)
- Korean: 와 (ko) (wa)
- Latin: hui
- Lithuanian: vau (lt)
- Malay: wau, wah
- Maori: ānana, ēhe, anō, wī
- Persian: واه (fa) (vâh), وا (fa) (vâ)
- Polish: wow (pl)
- Romanian: uau
- Portuguese: uau (pt), uia, nossa (pt), ena!
- Russian: ого́ (ru) (ogó), ого́ (ru) (ohó), ничего́ себе́! (ru) (ničevó sebé!), ба (ru) (ba), ишь ты (ru) (išʹ ty), на́до же (ru) (nádo že), обалде́ть (ru) (obaldétʹ), ва́у (ru) (váu) (neologism), здо́рово (ru) (zdórovo), ух ты (ru) (ux ty), офиге́ть (ru) (ofigétʹ), охуе́ть (ru) (oxujétʹ) (vulgar), пизде́ц (ru) (pizdéc) (vulgar), пфф (pff)
- Spanish: guau (es), guao (es)
- Thai: ว้าว (th) (waaw)
- Turkish: vay (tr), vay canına, oha! (tr) (colloquial)
- Ukrainian: нічого собі (ničoho sobi), нічосі (ničosi) (slang)
- Vietnamese: ồ (vi)
- Welsh: waw
- Yiddish: הו־האַ! (hu-ha!)
- Zazaki: wış, wış, wış, wış
Verb[edit]
wow (third-person singular simple present wows, present participle wowing, simple past and past participle wowed)
- (transitive, informal) To amaze or awe.
-
He really wowed the audience.
-
2015, Joe Sweeney; Mike Yorkey, Moving the Needle, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 200:
-
If all of us can remember how great it felt to be wowed, why don’t we make it a habit to do it more often for others? People remember you when you wow them, so to differentiate yourself with your clients and customers, think of doing something that would make them remember you.
-
-
Translations[edit]
Noun[edit]
wow (plural wows)
- (informal) Anything exceptionally surprising, unbelievable, outstanding, etc.
-
He did? That’s a wow!
-
1932, Delos W. Lovelace, King Kong, published 1965, page 144:
-
‘And say, Jimmy, wait till you see me in my new outfit…It’s a wow, kid.’
-
-
Derived terms[edit]
- wowless
Etymology 2[edit]
Imitative.
Noun[edit]
wow (countable and uncountable, plural wows)
- (audio) A relatively slow form of flutter (pitch variation) which can affect both gramophone records and tape recorders.
- 1970, Larry G. Goodwin, Thomas Koehring, Closed-circuit Television Production Techniques (page 80)
- Sound films have to be loaded so that the sound is 5 seconds before the sound drum so a wow does not result when the film is punched up on the air.
- 1970, Larry G. Goodwin, Thomas Koehring, Closed-circuit Television Production Techniques (page 80)
Anagrams[edit]
- oww
Atikamekw[edit]
Noun[edit]
wow
- egg
Japanese[edit]
| Alternative spelling |
|---|
| whoa |
Etymology[edit]
Borrowed from English whoa.
Pronunciation[edit]
- IPA(key): [ɰᵝo̞ː]
Interjection[edit]
wow • (wō)
- (chiefly in popular music) wow; whoa
Middle English[edit]
Noun[edit]
wow
- Alternative form of wowe
Polish[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Unadapted borrowing from English wow.
Pronunciation[edit]
- IPA(key): /waw/
- Rhymes: -aw
- Syllabification: wow
Interjection[edit]
wow
- (colloquial) wow
Further reading[edit]
- wow in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
- wow in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Spanish[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Unadapted borrowing from English wow.
Pronunciation[edit]
- IPA(key): /ˈwau/ [ˈwau̯]
- Rhymes: -au
Interjection[edit]
wow
- wow (an indication of excitement or surprise)
Usage notes[edit]
According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.
wow — перевод на русский
/waʊ/
Oh, wow, it’s Jayma’s wedding invitation.
Ух ты, это приглашение на свадьбу Джеймы.
Wow, that’s impressive.
Ух ты, впечатляет.
Wow. Okay. Uh, so, you don’t like any of my ideas?
Ух ты, то есть тебе не нравятся мои идеи?
wow, that’s neat.
Ух ты, здорово.
Показать ещё примеры для «ух ты»…
Wow, he ate him!
Вау, он съел его!
Wow, this place is huge!
Вау, он просто огромен!
— Oh, you do? — Wow!
Вау…
Показать ещё примеры для «вау»…
Wow. So Paula was pretty pissed when she walked out of here.
Ого, Паула отсюда просто в бешенстве вышла.
Wow, that’s fascinating.
Ого, впечатляет.
Wow, those are really beautiful.
Ого, а они очень красивые.
Wow, yeah, God.
Ого, да, боже.
Wow, they have mason jars for everything.
Ого, они использовали банки для всего.
Показать ещё примеры для «ого»…
Wow, how beautiful! Very good.
Вот замечательно!
Wow, a cute stuffed panda!
Вот славная игрушка!
Wow! Here’s the check.
Вот он, вот он чек.
Wow, he is so thirsty…
Вот это жажда…
Wow. Look at that.
Вот это да.
Показать ещё примеры для «вот»…
Wow, it looks like a documentary about a craft!
Ну, прямо как в документальном фильме о кустарях!
Wow, it was hungry!
= Ну теперь вы не будете голодными!
Wow, it’s hot in here, man.
Ну и жара тут.
Wow… say… well
Ну и ну! — Глубоко сидит.
~ You see… Wow!
Ну и ну.
Показать ещё примеры для «ну»…
Wow, look at the seaplane!
— Ух-ты, гидросамолет! — Это не гидросамолет это твой урожай.
That’s… wow.
Это… ух-ты.
Then I began to worry like wow, like how and where then I began to realize that like you know he was serious.
Тогда я начал волноваться — ух-ты, как…где… А потом я начал понимать, что, как вы уже поняли, он говорил серьёзно.
Показать ещё примеры для «ух-ты»…
Wow, it will great if we can get a ship to stop here, won’t it?
Было бы здорово, если бы сюда подошел корабль, так ведь? Конечно.
Wow, you’re a really good photographer.
Здорово, вы действительно хороший фотограф.
Wow, that was the best!
Вот здорово!
Показать ещё примеры для «здорово»…
Wow, this is why I was so warm!
Ой, Хорошо что принесло столько тепла.?
Wow, it is terrifying .
Ой, страшно.
Wow. It’s hot.
Ой, горячо.
Wow, look at that toy store!
Ой, какие игрушки!
Показать ещё примеры для «ой»…
Wow, are you stupid!
Уау, да ты тупой!
— Wow is right.
— Уау это точно.
Wow, that was ambitious of me, wasn’t it?
Уау, это было амбициозно с моей стороны, не так ли?
Показать ещё примеры для «уау»…
Wow, honey, I never saw nothing like this, not even in magazines, not even in advertisements.
Ох, милашка, я никогда не видела ничего подобного, даже в журналах, и даже в рекламе такого не видывала.
Wow, they’re delicious!
Ох, какая котлета.
Wow! That was sure close!
Ох, было нелегко!
Wow, it’s cold.
Ох, так холодно.
Показать ещё примеры для «ох»…
Отправить комментарий
The costs wow powerlevel only keep piling up as you progress in levels, making gold world of warcraft power leveling farming one of the most arduous and boring tasks a player is challenged with.，wow leveling wow leveling。 ❋ Rogers (2008)
At last it cries, _Bow, wow, wow_; and I concluded it must be Mr. _Saunderson_’s Dog, which had followed me from their ❋ Anonymous (N/A)
[Illustration] _Bow wow, wow_, says the Dog at the Door. ❋ Anonymous (N/A)
At this Instant something was heard to slap at the Window, _Wow, wow, wow_, says Jumper, and attempted to leap up and open the Door, at which the Children were surprized; but Mrs. _Margery_ knowing what it was, opened the Casement, as _Noah_ did the Window of the ❋ Anonymous (N/A)
«Bow, wow, _wow_!» exclaimed Cuffy in tones which there could be no mistaking, although the broken twigs and herbage which covered the mouth of the pit muffled them a good deal, and accounted for the strangeness of the creature’s howls when heard at a distance. ❋ Unknown (1859)
this (at 8: 33) high bar routine from a japanese gymnast. my mouth drops open, agog at the amazing feats of mid-air acrobatics. me: wow …. .wow … * wow*!!! did you see that?!? noble savage: I alway find that really shocking too. ❋ Unknown (2008)
The meaning of his _bow, wow, wow_, every time he repeated the words, was, «I’ll bite you! ❋ Unknown (1835)
Wasserman Schultz had what she called a «wow moment» when Giffords called out to Sergeant-at-Arms Bill Livingood by name. ❋ Unknown (2011)
Elizabeth prefaced her address with a greeting in Gaelic, prompting the Irish president, Mary McAleese, sitting at her side, to mouth the word «wow» in appreciation of the gesture. ❋ By ALAN COWELL (2011)
Yes | No | Report from fliphuntr14 wrote 9 weeks 6 days ago thats a big log if that bear could get in wow that is and awesome picture ❋ Unknown (2009)
That sounds more like a police recruitment program, but wow, is this mess still unclear. ❋ Unknown (2009)
It has been discussed before how your walls create a wonderful impact to the house design, but we never got to talk about those that are ineffective and make you wow from a negative perspective. ❋ Unknown (2009)
Wow!!! awesome job and awesome selection of characters to include .. i havent commented here for the longest time, but this takes the cake, the milk, whatever u want. freakin wow ❋ Unknown (2009)
They don’t want more mining in — wow, there are still wastes from the last round of how — and that this was something that was considered for a long time and was — they didn’t pass it for a long time because there was interest in jobs. ❋ Unknown (2010)
Man «So this is [all about] you? I don’t ever [remember] the last time we did something I wanted to do.»
Woman «Wow»
Man «I’ll have my stuff out [tomorrow]» ❋ Andersna75 (2015)
«I hope [I never lie] to him»
«Wow, really?»
«[Oh yea] i’m going out with [your boyfriend]»
«Wow.»
«WOW! I FREAKING LOVE YOU!» ❋ TiffanyLeigh (2009)
[aand] now for some examples:
«the sky is blue!!» «wow.»
«dudee!! ur supposed to write with a pencil!!» «ohh really??» «wow. just wow.»
«[im pregnant]!» «wow.»
«you follow your own poopy!!!» «wow.»
«eddy sucks [gab’s] dick!» «just wow.»
*sees something amazing* «wow.»
*kisses* «woow.»
«WOW…JUST WOW..!» ❋ Mz. Zoi (2009)
wow did you see that [car] [flip over] 3 [times] ❋ Nbnk (2011)
Person 1: [I am] actually turning [gay].
Person 2: [Wow]. ❋ Kinkyk1019 (2009)
[I can’t] [wait] until WOW comes out, [d00d]! ❋ Barry (2004)
Jimmy: I just watched [Fight Club] for the eighteenth time.
[Lucy]: [Oh wow]. ❋ Sydney&cisco (2008)
wow, [world of warcraft] is [gay]. ❋ Zombocom (2007)
1) WOW!!!! that was intense.
2) by far [Leeroy Jenkins] is the [stupidest] person in the history of WoW. but [atleast] he has chicken. ❋ Atleast I Got Chicken (2008)
K has connect.
«So [kaos] is alive»
«No I’m in the middle of a [84] hour WoW [marathon]. I haven’t seen sunlight in 2 and a half days and Jordan is beginning to look attractive. So, what’s up?»
K has been kicked. ❋ Tony (2005)
Recent Examples on the Web
While our best overall, the Cuisinart Elite Griddle is $200, its sister product, the Electric Griddler 5, still. delivered similarly wow-factor results.
—
Rennie Dyball, Peoplemag, 7 Apr. 2023
There’s a wow-factor to each piece, and that very essence in her clothing translates into the velvets, silks, and other materials produced by Romo Fabrics.
—Isiah Magsino, Town & Country, 6 Apr. 2023
Its 25-foot ceiling brings a wow factor and a luxurious sense of tranquility.
—Allie Beth Allman & Associates, Dallas News, 26 Mar. 2023
And to create the wow factor, for Colucci practice makes perfect.
—Bridget Arsenault, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2023
The 2023 Oscars red carpet (which was actually champagne-colored this year as to not compete with the red drapery) is here, and as expected, everyone is bringing the drama, the elegance, and the wow factor.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 12 Mar. 2023
Serve Food on It Create a wow factor at your next celebration with a tower of cupcakes displayed on this stand.
—Megan Boettcher, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Mar. 2023
While flashy studios and graphics work to produce a wow factor, the longtime MLS commissioner kn … Sweet Deal!
—Joe Reedy, ajc, 24 Feb. 2023
The street style scene can be incredibly theatrical, with guests having at least three outfit changes in a day in the back of their chauffeured cars, pieces borrowed by designers for an hour or so, and outfits chosen for their wow factor.
—Emma Spedding, Vogue, 23 Feb. 2023
The book serves as a guide for future team members, senior leaders, and board members to avoid the slippery slope of mission draft and ensure that MIM remains focused on and committed to delivering the experience that has been wowing guests since 2010.
—Jeff Fromm, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2023
They were properly wowed at first look.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2023
In less than four months since it was introduced, ChatGPT has become a cultural phenomenon, wowing the world with its ability to write poetry and prose, answer mathematical questions, hold forth on philosophical ideas, and converse fluently on just about any topic.
—WIRED, 21 Mar. 2023
Obviously, freshman quarterback Aidan Chiles has wowed.
—Ndaschel, oregonlive, 17 Mar. 2023
Shannon leads the Illini with 17.1 points per game and has wowed crowds with electrifying dunks.
—Josh Dubow, Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar. 2023
With almost 7,000 perfect ratings, these leggings have wowed shoppers with their durability.
—Madison Yauger, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2023
The holidays are soon upon us, and because there’s always room for a dazzling dessert or late-night snack, many of us will be looking for new cookie recipes that will wow guests with the perfect mix of crunch, chew and irresistible flavor.
—cleveland, 21 Nov. 2022
Discover simple decorating ideas for every space, including eye-catching ways to style your mantel, Christmas staircase decorations that’ll complement your interior and holiday door decor that’ll wow your guests.
—Alyssa Gautieri, Good Housekeeping, 19 Aug. 2022
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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.
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This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
interjection
(an exclamation of surprise, wonder, pleasure, or the like): Wow! Look at that!
verb (used with object)
to gain an enthusiastic response from; thrill.
noun
an extraordinary success: His act is a real wow.
excitement, interest, great pleasure, or the like: a car that will add some wow to your life.
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Origin of wow
1
1890–95; perhaps identical with Scots wow! exclamation of surprise or admiration
Words nearby wow
wourali, wove, woven, wove paper, Wovoka, wow, wow factor, wowser, Wozniak, WP, WPA
Other definitions for wow (2 of 2)
noun
Audio. a slow wavering of pitch in sound recording or reproducing equipment caused by uneven speed of the turntable or the tape.Compare flutter (def. 12).
Scot. and North England Dialect. a howl, wail, bark, whine, or mew.
verb (used without object)
Scot. and North England Dialect. to howl, wail, bark, whine, or mew.
Origin of wow
2
1800–10 for defs. 2, 3; 1930–35 for def. 1; imitative; the audio term is probably an independent formation
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Words related to wow
How to use wow in a sentence
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The new image is valuable for much more than its wow factor.
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There are a ton of amazing options out there and we feel confident that your next WoW session will leave you feeling fired up and in control with a brand new, ergonomically designed, programmable mouse in hand.
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If you want an eco-friendly gift for someone in the “wow what the heck do I get this person” category, consider a gift card to an establishment like the Package Free Store.
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In California, Bow Wow Bungalow grew its staff by 30 percent over the summer to accommodate new customers.
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Just like with 2019’s launch of WoW Classic, anyone who pays for an ongoing WoW subscription will get full access to WoW Burning Crusade at no additional cost.
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I just recently rewatched all six Star Wars movies the other day… Oh wow, from the beginning?
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It made a big impact on him and he realized, “Wow, there really is a Santa, at least in the hearts of some people.”
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But while the GoPro is impressive by itself, it has some serious wow factor when combined with a drone.
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And then I saw the trailer to Nightcrawler and texted him again and said, “Wow, you inspire me every day.”
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It was like ‘Wow, I can do whatever I like,’ and I did, and it became routine.
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There was a grand «pow-wow,» as William called it, after he came.
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Among the neighboring Cherokees, was one named Silouee, celebrated as a chief and pow-wow, or medicine man.
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A special class of legends that have been evolved in Slavic countries are those that tell of the Lamed-wow-niks.
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The chief difficulty in a «pow-wow» of this nature was that the balance of argument was invariably on the side of the Indian.
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«I’m going over to Mrs. Bow Wow‘s house to see if I can find the puppy dogs,» he said.
British Dictionary definitions for wow (1 of 3)
interjection
an exclamation of admiration, amazement, etc
noun
slang a person or thing that is amazingly successful, attractive, etc
verb
(tr) slang to arouse great enthusiasm in
Word Origin for wow
C16: originally Scottish, expressive of surprise, amazement, etc
British Dictionary definitions for wow (2 of 3)
noun
a slow variation or distortion in pitch that occurs at very low audio frequencies in sound-reproducing systems, such as a record player, usually due to variation in speed of the turntable, etcSee also flutter (def. 14)
Word Origin for wow
C20: of imitative origin
British Dictionary definitions for wow (3 of 3)
abbreviation for
waiting on weather: used esp in the oil industry
Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
огромный успех, поражать, ошеломлять
существительное ↓
- шотл., амер. сл. нечто из ряда вон выходящее или забавное
it’s a wow — вот это здорово 
- шумный успех (пьесы и т. п.)
to go with a wow — иметь шумный успех
- диал. лай
- кошачий концерт, громкое мяуканье
глагол ↓
- амер. сл. приводить в восторг, в восхищение
she wowed both young and old — ею восторгались и стар и млад
- диал. лаять
- громко мяукать, орать (о кошке)
междометие
- шотл., амер. прост. здорово!, блеск!
- безобразие!; какая гадость!
- вот беда, ой!
Мои примеры
Словосочетания
wow flutter — дрожание; флаттер
big wow — очень сексапильная женщина
frequency wow — детонация частоты звука; плавание частоты звука; плавание частоты
go with a wow — иметь шумный успех
turntable wow — плавание диска
wow and drift — детонация
wow figure — коэффициент НЧ-детонации
wow frequency — частота НЧ-детонации
wow noise — детонационный шум
wow root mean square — среднеквадратическое значение коэффициента детонации
Примеры с переводом
Wow! Look at that!
Ух-ты! Посмотрите на это!
Her performance wowed the critics.
Ее выступление поразило критиков.
The speaker wowed the audience.
Оратор поразил аудиторию.
The show has wowed audiences all over the country.
Это представление поразило зрителей по всей стране.
She wowed them with a dramatic reading of the death scene from Romeo and Juliet.
Она поразила их впечатляющей декламацией сцены смерти из «Ромео и Джульетты».
Формы слова
verb
I/you/we/they: wow
he/she/it: wows
ing ф. (present participle): wowing
2-я ф. (past tense): wowed
3-я ф. (past participle): wowed