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

“I think we’ve built a world where we’re like, we can get everything done if we trick ourselves with the reward of money and prioritize that. And people who make money are the people who should be leading us. Because, wow, if you can make money, you must really know what people need, forgetting in fact that most people who prioritize making profit tend to do very awful things in order to prioritize making money.”

From Los Angeles Times

“He was shy and funny and so so comfortable on stage. Wow. Like his second skin. You couldn’t take your eyes off him.”

From Los Angeles Times

He quipped, “Wow, this is going to be the most diverse group of congresspeople to ever get all their legislation blocked. So inspiring . . . F**k, people!”

From Salon

Not for narcissistic reasons, but when you see the video of me doing the show in 2014 it was like, wow, I’ve been doing this show a long time.

From Los Angeles Times

“I’m like, ‘Wow, I am really enjoying the hell out of this moment.’

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• charm
• entertain