phew

[ fyoo, pfyoo, whyoo ]

/ fyu, pfyu, whyu /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR phew ON THESAURUS.COM

interjection

(used as an exclamation to express disgust, exhaustion, surprise, impatience, relief, etc.): Phew, it's hot!

Nearby words

pheon, pherae, pheresis, pheromone, pheromones, phew, phfft, phi, phi beta kappa, phi bete, phi-function

Origin of phew

First recorded in 1595–1605

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for phew

Phew, he could have sex too, so an heir for Downton was assured.
Dan Stevens Blows Up ‘Downton’: From Chubby-Cheeked Aristo to Lean, Mean American Psycho|Tim Teeman|September 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Phew, Jones; none of us would give much for you,” said Henderson contemptuously.
St. Winifred's|Frederic W. Farrar
Out jumped the three lively whips, flew up in the air, and began to beat her—phew!
Old Peter's Russian Tales|Arthur Ransome
How splendidly developed he is; phew, what a magnificent figure!
Taras Bulba and Other Tales|Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol

Thisbe stops her nose in the presence of Pyramus and says: "Phew!"
Les Misrables|Victor Hugo
Up this shady little street, and into this shady shop—none the cooler for it though; while phew!
Original Penny Readings|George Manville Fenn

British Dictionary definitions for phew

phew

/ (fjuː) /

interjection

an exclamation of relief, surprise, disbelief, weariness, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012