whew

American

[hwyoo] / ʰwju /

interjection

(a whistling exclamation or sound expressing astonishment, dismay, relief, etc.)

noun

an utterance of “whew.”

whew British

/ hwjuː /

interjection

an exclamation or sharply exhaled breath expressing relief, surprise, delight, 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

Etymology

Origin of whew

First recorded in 1505–15; imitative

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.

See Examples For:

whew

Learning that at a young age was — whew!

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2025

But whew boy, the situation is even worse than early reporting implied!

From Slate ● Jun. 9, 2023

KHOR, Qatar — With a big whew from an unlikely source near closing time, Germany upped its chances to do something rarer than rare in its decorated World Cup history.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 27, 2022

“He’s been working for, whew, a long time, countless amounts of hours, rehab, in the gym, in the weight room. And I’m excited for him to get back.”

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 6, 2022

He lets go and whew, I can breathe again.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023