whew

\ often read as ˈhwü

How to pronounce whew (audio)

, ˈwü, ˈhyü; the interjection is a whistle concluded with a voiceless ü

How to pronounce whew (audio)

\

Definition of whew

: 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 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, "Peloton Stock Drops 11% after IPO—But CEO John Foley Says He Isn’t Breaking a Sweat," 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, "15 things to do with the kids Aug. 19-25," 18 Aug. 2019 But, whew, that’s a young group until Emmanuel Sanders (Achilles) returns. — Ryan O'halloran, The Denver Post, "Broncos analysis: 5 things we learned during the offseason program," 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, "Who Is Lady Gabriella Windsor? Everything You Need to Know About Her and Her Royal Wedding," 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, "Kayla Daugherty: Detroit marathon's weather change came as a surprise," 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, "Review: Reliving Those Arabian Nights in ‘Pay No Attention to the Girl’," 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, "2017: Some of my winners — and losers," 18 Dec. 2017 But, whew, our hottest day of the summer (so far) is behind us! — A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, "D.C.-area forecast: Very toasty before big storms threaten late today, a less-sweaty weekend," 14 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'whew.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

23 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Whew.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whew. Accessed 22 January 2020.

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