Va-va-voom is a playful word for exciting, showy attractiveness — the quality that makes people look twice. It started as a sound, the noise of a powerful car engine, and it kept that feeling: energy, power, something a bit thrilling. You can use it as a noun, "she has real va-va-voom", or as an adjective before another word, "a va-va-voom dress". Two things to notice. First, it is light and fun, never serious. It belongs in adverts, gossip magazines, and joking talk between friends. You would not write it in an essay or say it about your boss. Second, it does not only describe people. A car, a song, a plate of food, a company's new advertising campaign — anything that has been given extra excitement can be said to have va-va-voom, or to need some. In Britain the word became very popular in the early 2000s because of a car advert with the French footballer Thierry Henry, so British speakers of a certain age hear that advert when they hear the word. When it is used about a person it is usually about a woman, and it carries a sexual note, so it is worth being careful: to some people it is fun and flattering, to others it sounds old-fashioned or like looking at a woman as a thing. Spelling is loose — you will see va-va-voom, va va voom, and vavavoom.

（人或東西的）性感魅力、火辣勁；也可指「帶勁、夠嗆」的那種吸引力