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

Bondi probably wowed him with her snotty tone and histrionics, even as her wit left much to be desired.

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When I first rode this bike, I thought, wow!

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“It went from honestly, ‘Nothing’s gonna happen today,’ to like, ‘Oh, wow. It looks like a lot’s gonna happen,’ ” he said.

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

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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.

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Related Words

• charm 
• entertain