informal
: a strikingly sexy, voluptuous, or appealing quality
The actress exudes va-va-voom as she walks through the Sixth Avenue doorway of the Power House Theatre.Vicki Hillhouse
He turns up the volume and the va-va-voom, throws Jay-Z and Lana Del Rey on the soundtrack when jazz bands are playing on the screen, but leaves the basic storyline untouched.Ross Douthat
Throughout history, the rich have liked to demonstrate their status by displaying luxury goods that their inferiors are unable to afford. An Old Master can add real va-va-voom to your Manhattan penthouse.The Economist

va-va-voom

2 of 2

adjective

informal
: strikingly sexy, voluptuous, or appealing
This mascara won't clump or flake, plus it'll give you long, full, va-va-voom lashes.Ama Kwarteng
The heroine of Craft's book is Molly Shaw, a mousy … professor of women's history who secretly writes steamy piratical novels as Sandra St. Claire, and who is persuaded to adopt the va-va-voom guise of her literary alter ego in order to seduce Jake Berenger, a billionaire hotelier.Rebecca Mead

Examples of va-va-voom in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
An everyday lob can go from basic to va-va-voom with a single swoop. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 10 June 2026 As a sweetener, the French leader threw in a little extra va-va-voom at the end. Andrew Carey, CNN Money, 20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
An everyday lob can go from basic to va-va-voom with a single swoop. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 10 June 2026 As for beauty, Jenner brought the glamour with a bouncy blowout full of va-va-voom volume. Christina Perrier, InStyle, 4 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for va-va-voom

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1962, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1955, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of va-va-voom was in 1955

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Va-va-voom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/va-va-voom. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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