whew

English

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /hwjuː/, /fjuː/, [ʍĭ̥ŭ̥], [ɸĭ̥ŭ̥] [very short and unvoiced]
Audio (GA) (file)
Rhymes: -uː
Homophone: phew

Interjection

whew

An expressive sound made indicating the release of one's inner tension; the release of breath; an expression of relief.
(from strenuous labour)
Whew! That box weighs a ton!
(from intense concern)
Whew! Thank goodness youʼre safe! I thought something terrible had happened to you!
(from fear of being seen)
Whew! That cop didnʼt see me! That was a close call!
An expression of amazement or surprise.
- 1981, P. L. Travers, chapter 1, in Mary Poppins, revised edition edition:
  "...Now I must be off. Whew, it's as cold as the North Pole. Which way is the wind blowing?"

Synonyms

(expressing relief of tension): phew
(expressing surprise): wow

Related terms

whoa
wow

Translations

an expressive sound made indicating the release of one's inner tension

Estonian: ohh
Finnish: huh (fi)
French: ouf (fr)
German: puh (de), uff (de)
Hiligaynon: abá
Hungarian: pfű, hú (hu), fú (hu), huh
Ido: hu (io)
Kazakh: уһ (uh)
Malay: huh, uhh
Navajo: hwáah
Old Norse: hviss
Polish: uf (pl), uff (pl)
Russian: фуф m (fuf), фух (ru) (fux)
Spanish: uf (es)
Vietnamese: phù (vi)

an expression of amazement or surprise

Finnish: huh (fi), huhhuh, huh huh, oho (fi), hoh
German: puh (de)
Hiligaynon: abá
Hungarian: tyű, tyűha, hűha, hű (hu)
Malay: huh, uhh
Taos: húwi, yúwi

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Dutch: ^{(please verify)} oef (nl)
French: ^{(please verify)} ouf (fr)

Verb

whew (third-person singular simple present whews, present participle whewing, simple past and past participle whewed)

(UK, Scotland, dialect) To whistle with a shrill pipe, like a plover.

Verb

whew (third-person singular simple present whews, present participle whewing, simple past and past participle whewed)

(intransitive, UK, dialect) To bustle about.

Translations

Finnish: hyöriä (fi)