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Synonyms

wow

1 American  
[wou] / waʊ /

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 American  
[wou] / waʊ /

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 British  
/ waʊ /

interjection

  1. an exclamation of admiration, amazement, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. slang a person or thing that is amazingly successful, attractive, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. slang (tr) to arouse great enthusiasm in

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
WOW 2 British  

abbreviation

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
wow 3 British  
/ 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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

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

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.

"So when I came across terramation, I was like 'wow - do you know what, it could be a druid in the 21st Century that actually brings another facet of end-of-life and death care into being'."

From BBC

In the latest earnings announcement, Potter said Grocery Outlet left its shoppers disappointed — and their baskets mostly empty — because stores didn’t offer enough “wow” deals on name-brand products.

From Los Angeles Times

In killing the video-generation app, the company’s priority is no longer wowing the media.

From The Wall Street Journal

In killing the video-generation app, the company’s priority is no longer wowing the media.

From The Wall Street Journal

Then she donned a Red Sox jersey and wowed the crowd by throwing a strike.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.