whoa

American  

[hwoh, woh] / ʰwoʊ, woʊ /

Sometimes woah

interjection

1. (used to command an animal, especially a horse, to stop.)

2. (used to tell a person to stop, wait, or slow down).

   Whoa, you need to sit over there and calm yourself.

3. (an exclamation of surprise, wonder, pleasure, etc.).

   Whoa, that's a great photo!

---

whoa British  

/ wəʊ /

interjection

1. a command used esp to horses to stop or slow down

---

Usage

What does whoa mean? Whoa is used to express that something is impressive, surprising, or astounding, as in Whoa! Look at that sunset! In this sense, it’s very similar to wow. Whoa is also used as a command to stop. This command is especially associated with its use to get a horse to stop or slow down. Whoa is an interjection, meaning it’s typically used by itself outside of a sentence. Some people spell it woah. Example: When I told Keanu that the horse was running right at him, he just stood there and said, “Whoa.”

Etymology

Origin of whoa

First recorded in 1460–80; dialectal variant of ho ²

Example Sentences

Going back and looking at those songs — looking at myself 20 years ago — I’m like, whoa, Ash — I wish I could go back in time and give you a hug.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 26, 2025

“At that point,” Hill said, “I kind of went, whoa, this has really turned from something off to the side and become totally mainstream.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2025

Circadian rhythms might take a noticeable hit, with nocturnal animals mistakenly waking up and starting their day only to realize that, whoa, nighttime is already over.

From New York Times • Apr. 4, 2024

She said: "I was like, whoa what on earth is that?"

From BBC • Oct. 13, 2023

“Okay,” she says, putting her hands up like whoa there, buck.

From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli