what the hell meaning (slang): definition

what the hell

phrasealso spelled what the Hell

Etymology Shortened from earlier what in the hell.

Mildly, Slang, Vulgar An intensive form of what.

4 more examples

Mildly, Slang, Vulgar Indicating acceptance, indulgence, or insouciance: Why not? Who cares?

It’s expensive, but what the hell, you only live once.
Surprisingly, dieters ate more ice cream after eating a large milkshake than after eating a small one. Dr. Polivy calls this the “What the hell” effect, which she describes as thinking “What the hell, my diet’s already broken, so I might as well eat everything in sight.”

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i have had my ups and downs / but wotthehell wotthehell / yesterday sceptres and crowns / fried oysters and velvet gowns / and today i herd with bums / but wotthehell wotthehell1927, Don Marquis, “song of mehitabel”, in archy and mehitabel:
Then one afternoon he pounced on me and before one could say Jack Robinson his hand was in my shirt. He was so strong! I struggled but his hand kept fishing about in my bra. Then I suddenly thought, “Oh jimminy cricket, what the hell” and gave up the struggle. It was extraordinary, the feeling.1964, Robin Douglas-Home, chapter 12, in Hot for Certainties, London: Longmans, →OCLC, page 135:

Synonyms: the fuck, the hell, what on earth, what the fuck, what the heck, what the what, may as well, might as well, what the hey, why not
Derived terms: the hell
Related terms: the hell you say, give something a try, have nothing to lose

phrase

Rare Rare form of what the hell.

In short, the merchants with wares to sell / Consider my cash a crime / And keep advising me – what the Hell – / To buy what I need On Time.1962 April, C. S. Jennison, “I'm Leery of Firms With Easy Terms”, in The Atlantic Monthly, Washington, D.C.: The Atlantic Monthly Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 30 Aug 2025:
My private library clashes with the rest of the leatherbound decor, but what the Hell.1996 August, Stephen Dedman, “Never Seen by Waking Eyes”, in Kristine Kathryn Rusch, editor, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, volume 91, number 2, West Cornwall, Conn.: Mercury Press, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 140:

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“[…] It is vital that we discover.” / I gave him another smile, a little less bright. “I suppose it is,” I said. And what the Hell, maybe it was. […] But if Gerhand was right about the range requirement, it did look as if we had an oddity on our hands. And what the Hell, oddities do happen.1999 July–August, Laurence M[ark] Janifer, “GCEA”, in Stanley Schmidt, editor, Analog Science Fiction and Fact, volume CXVIX, numbers 7 and 8, Norwalk, Conn.: Dell Magazines, →ISSN, →OCLC, pages 178 and 186, column 2: