wow

¹

[wou]

interjection

1. (an exclamation of surprise, wonder, pleasure, or the like).

   Wow! Look at that!

verb (used with object)

1. to gain an enthusiastic response from; thrill.

noun

1. an extraordinary success.

   His act is a real wow.

2. excitement, interest, great pleasure, or the like.

   a car that will add some wow to your life.

wow

²

[wou]

noun

1. Audio.,  a slow wavering of pitch in sound recording or reproducing equipment caused by uneven speed of the turntable or the tape.

2. Scot. and North England Dialect.,  a howl, wail, bark, whine, or mew.

verb (used without object)

1. Scot. and North England Dialect.,  to howl, wail, bark, whine, or mew.

wow

¹

/ waʊ /

interjection

1. an exclamation of admiration, amazement, etc

noun

1. slang,  a person or thing that is amazingly successful, attractive, etc

verb

1. slang,  (tr) to arouse great enthusiasm in

WOW

²

abbreviation

1. waiting on weather: used esp in the oil industry

wow

³

/ waʊ, wəʊ /

noun

1. 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, etc See also flutter

Word History and Origins

Origin of wow¹

1890–95; perhaps identical with Scots wow! exclamation of surprise or admiration

Origin of wow²

1800–10 wow ² for defs. 2, 3; 1930–35 wow ² for def. 1; imitative; the audio term is probably an independent formation

Word History and Origins

Origin of wow¹

C16: originally Scottish, expressive of surprise, amazement, etc

Origin of wow²

C20: of imitative origin

Example Sentences

Unless the company can wow investors with its EV pricing, the Elettrica could weigh on the stock for some time.

Read more on Barron's

Shepherd attributes the broader fascination to Claude’s rare color and the fact that Californians are more wowed than Floridians by the sight of an alligator.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Founded only in January this year, Fermi has wowed Wall Street with the speed at which the company went public.

Read more on Barron's

"That is, wow, that is very, very sweet of you to think about me this much, even if it's negative. In my industry, attention is affection, and you've given me a whole lot of it."

Read more on BBC

For Tchine, a standout in the London Pulse side who swept to their first Super League title this year, the "wow" moment came at the Lionesses' luxury hangout.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• charm 
• entertain