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Showing results for wow. Search instead for WYOW.
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.

But Gu, who now has three Olympic golds and three silvers in total, produced a dazzling performance in the second round to wow the judges.

From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026

"I sat back and was like: 'Oh wow, I got off really lightly'."

From BBC • Jan. 9, 2026

Then came another meh showing against Wisconsin in which Dent produced some nice moments but didn’t wow anyone.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026

“You’re not going to get caught up in the wow factor,” Bostad said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

Oh, wow, I thought, I made a friend.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

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.