Meaning & use
wow
Last updated
Meanings
interjection
Used to show strong surprise, admiration, or amazement.
Grammar: Said alone or at the start of a sentence; not used in formal writing.
Patterns
- wow!
Wow! That view is incredible!
Wow, I didn't expect to see you here.
She won the race? Wow, that's amazing!
verbtransitive
To impress or amaze someone greatly.
Grammar: Takes an object: The performance wowed the audience.
Patterns
- wow someone
- wow someone with something
The magician wowed the crowd with his tricks.
Her speech wowed everyone at the conference.
He wowed the judges and won first prize.
Word forms
| third person singular | wows |
|---|---|
| past tense | wowed |
| past participle | wowed |
| -ing form | wowing |
Common combinations
- wow the audience
- The singer wowed the audience with her powerful voice.
- wow factor
- The new phone has a real wow factor.
- wow someone with something
- He wowed his friends with his cooking skills.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- wowing adjective
- Informal: causing amazement, as in 'a wowing performance'.
Commonly confused: wow or vow?
wow vs vow
Vow means to make a serious promise; wow means to amaze or express surprise.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'wow' correctly as a verb?
Choose one answer.
As a verb, 'wow' needs an object (wowed the judges). The other options use 'wow' without an object or in the wrong tense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wow”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.