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. Compare flutter ( def 12 ).
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; 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

WOW

²

abbreviation for

1. waiting on weather: used esp in the oil industry

wow

³

/ 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

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 ²fordefs 2, 3; 1930–35 wow ²fordef 1; imitative; the audio term is probably an independent formation

Word History and Origins

Origin of wow¹

C20: of imitative origin

Origin of wow²

C16: originally Scottish, expressive of surprise, amazement, etc

Example Sentences

The new image is valuable for much more than its wow factor.

From Time

There are a ton of amazing options out there and we feel confident that your next WoW session will leave you feeling fired up and in control with a brand new, ergonomically designed, programmable mouse in hand.

From Popular-Science

If you want an eco-friendly gift for someone in the “wow what the heck do I get this person” category, consider a gift card to an establishment like the Package Free Store.

From Popular-Science

In California, Bow Wow Bungalow grew its staff by 30 percent over the summer to accommodate new customers.

From Washington Post

Just like with 2019's launch of WoW Classic, anyone who pays for an ongoing WoW subscription will get full access to WoW Burning Crusade at no additional cost.

From Ars Technica

I just recently rewatched all six Star Wars movies the other day… Oh wow, from the beginning?

From The Daily Beast

It made a big impact on him and he realized, “Wow, there really is a Santa, at least in the hearts of some people.”

From The Daily Beast

But while the GoPro is impressive by itself, it has some serious wow factor when combined with a drone.

From The Daily Beast

And then I saw the trailer to Nightcrawler and texted him again and said, “Wow, you inspire me every day.”

From The Daily Beast

It was like ‘Wow, I can do whatever I like,’ and I did, and it became routine.

From The Daily Beast

There was a grand "pow-wow," as William called it, after he came.

From Project Gutenberg

Among the neighboring Cherokees, was one named Silouee, celebrated as a chief and pow-wow, or medicine man.

From Project Gutenberg

A special class of legends that have been evolved in Slavic countries are those that tell of the Lamed-wow-niks.

From Project Gutenberg

The chief difficulty in a "pow-wow" of this nature was that the balance of argument was invariably on the side of the Indian.

From Project Gutenberg

"I'm going over to Mrs. Bow Wow's house to see if I can find the puppy dogs," he said.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• charm
• entertain