aha moment

noun

, Informal.

1. a point in time, event, or experience when one has a sudden insight or realization:

   My aha moment was when I put on my shorts from last summer and they didn’t fit.

aha moment

noun

1. an instant at which the solution to a problem becomes clear

Word History and Origins

Origin of aha moment¹

From the expression aha, used to signal sudden awareness or comprehension

Example Sentences

I’m dedicating my life to mathematics, the art of the shortcut, but I actually enjoy spending the time and having that aha moment when I find a little tunnel, which gets me through to the other side.

From Freakonomics

When I notice myself tensing up and scripting my words in an effort not to touch off emotional consequences with someone, that’s my aha moment that I’m involved with someone controlling.

From Washington Post

As she tells it, her aha moment came in the form of a drawing from her youngest son, who struggled to understand why his mother’s meetings kept taking precedent over him.

From TechCrunch

The first was access to affordable health care, a confirmation of her aha moment with Tadyn.

From Popular-Science

“It was an aha moment for me and motivated the research,” Lee said.

From The Daily Beast

Was there an “aha moment” when that balance clicked into place?

From The Daily Beast

And in this aha moment, she explains in ways we all can understand what it must feel like to be transgendered.

From The Daily Beast

"Aha moment" is quite old—our earliest citation is from a 1939 psychology text—but it was used only sporadically for a long time.

From The Daily Beast