wah-wah

adjective

Modifying the resonance of musical notes to produce the effect of a human voice.

Similar
womp womp
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Meanings

wah-wah1

adjectivewah-wah (not comparable)

alternative wah wah

  1. not comparableentertainmentModifying the resonance of musical notes to produce the effect of a human voice.
interjection

alternative wah wah

  1. CanadaUSonomatopoeicThe sad trombone sound, used to indicate failure or disappointment, often used mockingly.

    When told during a Fox News segment about a 10-year-old with Down syndrome who was separated from her mother at the southern border, the former campaign manager of President Trump replied, "Wah wah."

    2018 June 20, “Corey Lewandowski Mocks Immigrant Child With Down Syndrome Taken From Mother: 'Wah, Wah'”, in Inside Edition

    Synonyms: womp womp

nounwah-wah (plural wah-wahs)

plural wah-wahs · alternative wah wah

  1. entertainmentA wavering sound produced by means of a movable mute or by electronic means.
verbwah-wah (third-person singular simple present wah-wahs, present participle wah-wahing, simple past and past participle wah-wahed)

present singular third person wah-wahs · participle present wah-wahing · participle past wah-wahed · past wah-wahed · alternative wah wah

  1. intransitiveentertainmentTo make a wah-wah sound.

wah-wah2

noun
  1. alternativedatedAlternative form of wau-wau

Synonyms & antonyms

interjectionThe sad trombone sound, used to indicate failure or disappointment, often used mockingly.

Similar
womp womp
Also see
sad trombonewomp womp

Origin

Imitative.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French wah-wah
  • wah-wahmodifying the resonance of musical notes to produce the effect of a human voice
Italian wawa
  • wawawavering sound
Japanese ワウ
  • ワウ (wau)modifying the resonance of musical notes to produce the effect of a human voice
Polish wah-wah, efekt wah-wah
  • wah-wahmodifying the resonance of musical notes to produce the effect of a human voice
  • efekt wah-wahwavering sound
Cite this entry
APA

wah-wah. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wah-wah

MLA

“wah-wah.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wah-wah. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wah-wah,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wah-wah.

Source: wah-wah on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.