what the hell
Idioms-
It's not important, who cares, as in It cost a lot more, but what the hell, we can afford it . [Second half of 1800s] Also see what of it .
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An intensive of what , as in What the hell do you think you're doing? [First half of 1800s] Also see under on earth .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Biden’s ad closes with what is presented as an outtake, as he beams into the camera and quips, “Look, I’m very young, energetic and handsome. What the hell am I doing this for?”
From Seattle Times • Mar. 9, 2024
It was the weirdest sensation I'd ever had but I made it through to half-time and I was sitting in the dressing room thinking: "What the hell is this about?"
From BBC • May 11, 2023
“He told me, ‘As a Black man I ask myself, What the hell was Jake doing with a gun out there that night?
From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2023
Purdue, like Virginia, wound up as the backdrop as people began to answer the question, What the hell do those initials mean?
From Washington Post • Mar. 17, 2023
“Sure,” he said, and his English was colloquial and mouthfilling, “the Mexican Canal is overdue. What the hell? It will get finished just the same, old boy.”
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
