ovation
Americannoun
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ovations
plural
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an enthusiastic public reception of a person, marked especially by loud and prolonged applause.
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Roman History. the ceremonial entrance into Rome of a commander whose victories were of a lesser degree of importance than that for which a triumph was accorded.
noun
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an enthusiastic reception, esp one of prolonged applause
a standing ovation
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a victory procession less glorious than a triumph awarded to a Roman general
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of ovation
1525–35; < Latin ovātiōn- (stem of ovātiō ) a rejoicing, shouting, equivalent to ovāt ( us ) (past participle of ovāre to rejoice) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Hear that applause and cries of "Bravo"? Your audience is giving you an ovation, or praise for a great performance. The noun ovation has origins in the Latin word ovare, meaning "exult, rejoice, triumph.” Ancient Romans used it to describe a ceremony honoring a general entering Rome following a minor triumph. By the 19th century, ovation had taken on the more specific meaning, "a display of appreciation and applause from an audience." Today, especially great performers get standing ovations, which means the audience rises from their seats as they clap.
Vocabulary lists containing ovation
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In Venice, the film received a standing ovation that lasted more than 24 minutes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
After its premiere at the Venice Film Festival last week, "NAZA" received a record-breaking 25-minute ovation and later won the special jury prize.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
"What a ride this has been," Smart reflected, and joked that the audience only gave her a standing ovation "because I'm old".
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
She was greeted by a standing ovation when she took the stage for her acceptance speech.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
He was receiving a standing ovation from the Lions Club.
From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
Standing ovations are almost de rigueur in formal Washington, but I don’t think I ever heard one of such prolonged intensity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Thousands of supporters of Rama’s party holding Albanian and European Union flags greeted his speech with ovations.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
Pedro Almodóvar didn’t know the finer points of film festival standing ovations when he first showed a movie in competition at Cannes in 1999.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
His words prompted no fewer than 12 standing ovations, suggesting his points landed with his audience.
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026
On Tuesday of state championship week, the regular meeting of the Permian booster club was interrupted by numerous standing ovations.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
