voilà

Or voi·la

[vwah-lah, vwa-la]

interjection

1. (used to express success or satisfaction).

   Voilà, my new winter outfit!

Word History and Origins

Origin of voilà¹

First recorded in 1825–35; from French, equivalent to voi “see!” (2nd person singular imperative of voir “to see”) + là “there”

Example Sentences

“What a remarkable device this is! A long tube, some simple glass lenses, and a basic understanding of optics, and voilà: faraway things come impossibly near, and without the inconvenience of a long train ride, either.”

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“Voilà!” she exclaimed, feeling thoroughly pleased with herself.

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Like “Eureka” or “By Jove, I’ve got it,” “voilà” is sometimes exclaimed by people who have figured out the answer to some sort of problem or riddle that has been vexing them to no end.

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But why would Penelope use a French word like “voilà” when she was nowhere near France?

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Voilà, Chicago’s $2.1 billion unfunded retiree healthcare liability vanished.

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When To Use

What does voilà mean?

Voilà is a word used when enthusiastically revealing something, presenting something, or showing something off.Voilà is borrowed from French, in which it translates as “see there.” Saying voilà is a lot like saying “here it is,” “look at this,” or “check this out” about the thing being presented or revealed.It’s an interjection, meaning it’s a term used to express an emotion or indicate some kind of condition, usually by itself. Voilà is especially used to express satisfaction or success in relation to something that has just been done or shown.It is sometimes used in a humorous or exaggerated way, such as to be dramatic when presenting something, similar to the term ta-da.It is sometimes spelled as voila, without the accent mark over the a.Example: All you have to do is push this button, and voilà! The machine does the work for you!