To exult means to feel and show intense joy and triumph. When a team exults after winning the championship, they don't just smile quietly: they jump, cheer, hug each other, and celebrate with explosive happiness. When a scientist exults over a breakthrough discovery, her joy bursts out in ways she can't contain.

The word suggests more than ordinary happiness. You might feel happy about getting a good grade, but you exult when you win the spelling bee after months of practice, or when your project takes first place at the science fair. Exulting combines joy with a sense of victory or achievement: something you worked hard for has finally succeeded.

Exultation is the noun form, describing that feeling of triumphant joy. You might hear about the exultation of fans when their team scores the winning goal in the final seconds. When someone is exultant, they're experiencing or showing that powerful joy: an exultant shout, an exultant leap into the air.