: a whistling sound or a sound like a half-formed whistle uttered as an exclamation
gave a long whew when he realized the size of the job
—used interjectionally chiefly to express amazement, discomfort, or relief
Examples of whew in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Earlier this year, Shay casually shared a video on Instagram of herself working her way through plank variations like a total boss at the gym and whew!
—
Korin Miller, Women's Health, 15 Mar. 2023
The cult fitness-slash-bike-slash-tech-slash-media company (whew) began trading at $27 per share—but dropped over 14% from its initial price offering at $29 per share (which would earn them over an $8 billion valuation)—closing down over 11%.
—Anne Sraders, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2019
To wit: a carnival, classic film fest, auto show, dunk tank, farmer’s market, 5K run and kids dash, and even a Sunday pancake breakfast (whew!).
—Web Behrens, chicagotribune.com, 18 Aug. 2019
But, whew, that’s a young group until Emmanuel Sanders (Achilles) returns.
—Ryan O'Halloran, The Denver Post, 6 June 2019
Like Prince William, Prince Harry, and many other royals, Lady Gabriella Marina Alexandra Ophelia Windsor (whew) was born at St. Mary's Hospital in London.
—Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, 26 Apr. 2019
And the view kept getting scarier: first 60% chance of rain, then 90% chance, then — whew — 100% chance for thunderstorms.
—Kayla Daugherty, Detroit Free Press, 15 Oct. 2017
In it, the cunning Scheherazade staves off her execution by her husband the king, who has a nasty habit of bedding and then slaughtering his brides, by spinning more than a thousand (whew!) artfully cliff-hanging tales.
—Ben Brantley, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2018
On the home front my wife signed up for another year (whew), and my faithful Sancho Panza, Ms. Nicole Rockstead agreed to do a 26th year with me.
—Neil Senturia, sandiegouniontribune.com, 18 Dec. 2017
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Korin Miller, Women's Health, 15 Mar. 2023
The cult fitness-slash-bike-slash-tech-slash-media company (whew) began trading at $27 per share—but dropped over 14% from its initial price offering at $29 per share (which would earn them over an $8 billion valuation)—closing down over 11%.
—Anne Sraders, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2019
To wit: a carnival, classic film fest, auto show, dunk tank, farmer’s market, 5K run and kids dash, and even a Sunday pancake breakfast (whew!).
—Web Behrens, chicagotribune.com, 18 Aug. 2019
But, whew, that’s a young group until Emmanuel Sanders (Achilles) returns.
—Ryan O'Halloran, The Denver Post, 6 June 2019
Like Prince William, Prince Harry, and many other royals, Lady Gabriella Marina Alexandra Ophelia Windsor (whew) was born at St. Mary's Hospital in London.
—Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, 26 Apr. 2019
And the view kept getting scarier: first 60% chance of rain, then 90% chance, then — whew — 100% chance for thunderstorms.
—Kayla Daugherty, Detroit Free Press, 15 Oct. 2017
In it, the cunning Scheherazade staves off her execution by her husband the king, who has a nasty habit of bedding and then slaughtering his brides, by spinning more than a thousand (whew!) artfully cliff-hanging tales.
—Ben Brantley, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2018
On the home front my wife signed up for another year (whew), and my faithful Sancho Panza, Ms. Nicole Rockstead agreed to do a 26th year with me.
—Neil Senturia, sandiegouniontribune.com, 18 Dec. 2017
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'whew.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
imitative
First Known Use
1513, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near whew
Cite this Entry
“Whew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whew. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.
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