oomph

[oo mf]

See more synonyms for oomph on Thesaurus.com

noun Informal.

energy; vitality; enthusiasm.
sex appeal.

Origin of oomph

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40; imitative of the sound made during exertion, as in lifting a heavy object

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for oomph

vigor, potency, zest, zip, pep, vitality, stamina, fortitude, pizzazz, get-up-and-go, intensity, vim, dash, juice, zing, initiative, go, force, strength, endurance

Examples from the Web for oomph

Contemporary Examples of oomph

Any good Baby Boom boy my age can testify that the oomph went out of American family car design in 1963.
P.J. O’Rourke on Grabbing the Keys to Happiness
P. J. O’Rourke
January 24, 2014
All the oomph in the U.S. economy was delivered by the top 10% of households.
How Ted Cruz Can Win in 2016
David Frum
October 25, 2013

Historical Examples of oomph

About the only remarks that could be elicited from the "little yaller man" were a reluctant "oomph" or "oomph-uh."
Americans All
Various
Then a look of intelligence came into mammy's fat face, "Oomph," she said.
The Strength of Gideon and Other Stories
Paul Laurence Dunbar

British Dictionary definitions for oomph

oomph

noun informal

enthusiasm, vigour, or energy
sex appeal

Word Origin for oomph

C20: perhaps imitative of the bellow of a mating bull

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

Word Origin and History for oomph

"sexual attractiveness," 1937, suggestive visceral physical sound. Ann Sheridan (1915–1967) was the original Hollywood oomph girl (1939).