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

It seemed something of a wow earlier this week when Deutsche Bank rolled out its S&P 500 forecasts, predicting an 8,000 finish for the index next year.

Read more on MarketWatch

William Shakespeare wouldn’t be wowed by this domestic drama about his home life back in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

So I finally had this moment of, wow, I can actually buy a piano and I can play my own piano in my own house.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

I called him a "wow footballer" on Match of the Day because he excites me so much, and I am looking forward to what comes next for him too.

Read more on BBC

Faced with ambigrams of the seven colors of the rainbow, two dozen Italian place names and all 50 states, a reader’s “wow” soon fades to “SOS.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• charm 
• entertain