—used to express strong feeling (such as pleasure or surprise)
wowed; wowing; wows
: to excite to enthusiastic admiration or approval
a performance that wowed the critics
: a distortion in reproduced sound consisting of a slow rise and fall of pitch caused by speed variation in the reproducing system
Examples of wow in a Sentence
Verb
Her performance wowed the critics.
Recent Examples on the Web
Vivian Song, Robb Report, 4 May 2024
Elevate your outdoor audio experience with the JBL Xtreme 3 speaker, bolstered by its rugged, waterproof design at, wow, 52% off.
—Shubham Yewale, PCMAG, 1 May 2024
Oh wow, this seems very much like what was happening back then.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 1 May 2024
And, oh, wow, that’s a guitar signed by the great bluesman Muddy Waters.
—Jim Harrington, The Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2024
This collection of easy summer dessert recipes inspired by the flavors of the season will be sure to wow your guests while keeping your kitchen prep to a minimum.
—Nik Pugmire, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Apr. 2024
Spring entertaining shouldn’t be drab; add some breathtaking floral tablescapes to wow your guests.
—Essence, 18 Apr. 2024
Loved looking at these pic down thru the years—wow!
—Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
With height limits and historical preservation restrictions, new housing is generally more meh than wow.
—Amy Worden, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
Debbie Frank, Peoplemag, 3 May 2024
For the wow factor: A dramatic long cape made with almost 100 meters of fabric.
—Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
This optical illusion is one of several wow factors, but mostly the yacht overwhelms with quiet luxury.
—Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 25 Mar. 2024
All the same, none of the quarterbacks here put together the kind of ‘wow’ performance that will cause teams to radically change their views.
—Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 4 Feb. 2024
Moussaieff high jewelry earrings and an Omega watch added to the the wow factor.
—Jackie Fields, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024
O’Brian, a real-life bodybuilder and Hapkido black belt and a former cop, packs more onscreen wow factor than any fantastical CG super suit.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024
Swiatek has a way of sneaking up on the big prizes without a huge amount of the wow factor.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
A lot of times in fashion, the wow factor or the theatricality of a show can be in how someone creates volume.
—Laia Garcia-Furtado, Vogue, 15 Feb. 2024
Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 May 2024
Blunt, 41, who voices Unicorn in the film, wowed the crowd with a pink long-sleeve silk plumage print gown by Roberto Cavalli.
To accessorize the floral dress, Blunt wore a long silver necklace and her hair in loose waves.
—Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 14 May 2024
Chester wowed with his bellowing vocals and dancefloor-ready stage moves, earning a standing ovation from coach John Legend and a chorus of chants from the studio audience.
—Edward Segarra, USA TODAY, 14 May 2024
The solar storms that have been wowing people with the Northern Lights across the United States the last two nights have also been disrupting GPS satellites, crippling some Midwest farmers’ operations, reports 404 Media.
—Wes Davis, The Verge, 12 May 2024
As usual, all the first growths are among the best wines of the vintage, and I was wowed by Right Bank stars such as Petrus, Le Pin, Ausone and Figeac.
—Elin McCoy, Fortune Europe, 11 May 2024
Sphere, which wowed music fans through residencies by U2 and Phish, attracted nearly one million guests to more than 270 events in the quarter, said Dolan.
—Glenn Peoples, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Entertainment & Arts Review: Ed Ruscha show wowed in New York.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Scout wowed in a strapless hot pink dress with a black lace overlay and black tights.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
Interjection
All Rio needed to wow the crowd was Gisele, who turned the stadium into her personal catwalk, strutting the length of the field solo.
—Vivian Song, Robb Report, 4 May 2024
Elevate your outdoor audio experience with the JBL Xtreme 3 speaker, bolstered by its rugged, waterproof design at, wow, 52% off.
—Shubham Yewale, PCMAG, 1 May 2024
Oh wow, this seems very much like what was happening back then.
—Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 1 May 2024
And, oh, wow, that’s a guitar signed by the great bluesman Muddy Waters.
—Jim Harrington, The Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2024
This collection of easy summer dessert recipes inspired by the flavors of the season will be sure to wow your guests while keeping your kitchen prep to a minimum.
—Nik Pugmire, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Apr. 2024
Spring entertaining shouldn’t be drab; add some breathtaking floral tablescapes to wow your guests.
—Essence, 18 Apr. 2024
Loved looking at these pic down thru the years—wow!
—Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
With height limits and historical preservation restrictions, new housing is generally more meh than wow.
—Amy Worden, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
Noun
The new moon on the 8th is a wow factor for creating intimacy and togetherness – so call it in Libra and open yourself up for a heart-to-heart.
—Debbie Frank, Peoplemag, 3 May 2024
For the wow factor: A dramatic long cape made with almost 100 meters of fabric.
—Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
This optical illusion is one of several wow factors, but mostly the yacht overwhelms with quiet luxury.
—Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 25 Mar. 2024
All the same, none of the quarterbacks here put together the kind of ‘wow’ performance that will cause teams to radically change their views.
—Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 4 Feb. 2024
Moussaieff high jewelry earrings and an Omega watch added to the the wow factor.
—Jackie Fields, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024
O’Brian, a real-life bodybuilder and Hapkido black belt and a former cop, packs more onscreen wow factor than any fantastical CG super suit.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024
Swiatek has a way of sneaking up on the big prizes without a huge amount of the wow factor.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
A lot of times in fashion, the wow factor or the theatricality of a show can be in how someone creates volume.
—Laia Garcia-Furtado, Vogue, 15 Feb. 2024
Verb
Chris Hemsworth and Tom Burke co-star. Fury Road world premiered at the 68th Cannes Film Festival, wowing international critics and going on to gross more than $380 million worldwide.
—Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 May 2024
Blunt, 41, who voices Unicorn in the film, wowed the crowd with a pink long-sleeve silk plumage print gown by Roberto Cavalli.
To accessorize the floral dress, Blunt wore a long silver necklace and her hair in loose waves.
—Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 14 May 2024
Chester wowed with his bellowing vocals and dancefloor-ready stage moves, earning a standing ovation from coach John Legend and a chorus of chants from the studio audience.
—Edward Segarra, USA TODAY, 14 May 2024
The solar storms that have been wowing people with the Northern Lights across the United States the last two nights have also been disrupting GPS satellites, crippling some Midwest farmers’ operations, reports 404 Media.
—Wes Davis, The Verge, 12 May 2024
As usual, all the first growths are among the best wines of the vintage, and I was wowed by Right Bank stars such as Petrus, Le Pin, Ausone and Figeac.
—Elin McCoy, Fortune Europe, 11 May 2024
Sphere, which wowed music fans through residencies by U2 and Phish, attracted nearly one million guests to more than 270 events in the quarter, said Dolan.
—Glenn Peoples, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Entertainment & Arts Review: Ed Ruscha show wowed in New York.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Scout wowed in a strapless hot pink dress with a black lace overlay and black tights.
—Catherine Santino, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near wow
Cite this Entry
“Wow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wow. Accessed 18 May. 2024.
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