diff --git a/Misc/NEWS b/Misc/NEWS
index bbf694395cd..22e038b51e9 100644
--- a/Misc/NEWS
+++ b/Misc/NEWS
@@ -300,6 +300,12 @@ IDLE
 
 - Issue #14735: Update IDLE docs to omit "Control-z on Windows".
 
+Build
+-----
+
+- Issue #17547: In configure, explicitly pass -Wformat for the benefit for GCC
+  4.8.
+
 
 What's New in Python 3.3.1 release candidate 1?
 ===============================================
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 53d38908af4..a414fe0fc0b 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -6529,7 +6529,7 @@ then
   { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking whether gcc supports ParseTuple __format__" >&5
 $as_echo_n "checking whether gcc supports ParseTuple __format__... " >&6; }
   save_CFLAGS=$CFLAGS
-  CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -Werror"
+  CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -Werror -Wformat"
   cat confdefs.h - <<_ACEOF >conftest.$ac_ext
 /* end confdefs.h.  */
 
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 053e4a46b40..a70a752891c 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -1333,7 +1333,7 @@ if test "$GCC" = "yes"
 then
   AC_MSG_CHECKING(whether gcc supports ParseTuple __format__)
   save_CFLAGS=$CFLAGS
-  CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -Werror"
+  CFLAGS="$CFLAGS -Werror -Wformat"
   AC_COMPILE_IFELSE([
     AC_LANG_PROGRAM([[void f(char*,...)__attribute((format(PyArg_ParseTuple, 1, 2)));]], [[]])
   ],[