Viva
intj, name, noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A shout of applause.
"When the cibolero returned to the plain, he was received with a fresh burst of vivas, and kerchiefs were waved to greet him."
- 2 An oral examination, typically for an academic qualification.
- 3 an examination conducted by spoken communication wordnet
- 1 To cheer, applaud ambitransitive, dated
"...the people clapped and vivaed, groaned and hooted, as they were pleased or disappointed, until at length the intense excitement began to subside..."
- 2 To subject to an examination of this kind. transitive
"I was vivaed by Charles Cannan, who was then a Fellow of Trinity..."
- 1 Long live ... ! (used to express acclaim or support).
"The message has been mostly perverted from the moment of his death, but it hasn't been invalidated. So, viva Jesus of Nazareth and joy to the world!"
- 1 a region of Manhattanville, Harlem, New York City
Example
More examples"The message has been mostly perverted from the moment of his death, but it hasn't been invalidated. So, viva Jesus of Nazareth and joy to the world!"
Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish viva and Italian viva.
Shortened from viva voce, Latin for “live voice”
Abbreviation of Viaduct Valley
Related phrases
More for "viva"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.