whew

intj, verb — 4 senses

whew

intj

/hwjuː/ · /fjuː/

1

An expressive sound made indicating the release of one's inner tension; the release of breath; an expression of relief.

(from strenuous labour) Whew! That box weighs a ton!
(from intense concern) Whew! Thank goodness youʼre safe! I thought something terrible had happened to you!

1 more example

(from fear of being seen) Whew! That cop didnʼt see me! That was a close call!

2

An expression of amazement or surprise.

Now I must be off. Whew, it's as cold as the North Pole. Which way is the wind blowing?1934, P[amela] L[yndon] Travers, “East Wind”, in Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins; 1), London: Gerald Howe Ltd […], →OCLC, page 3:

Synonyms: phew, wow
Derived terms: whew duck
Related terms: whoa, wow

whew

verb

1

Scotland, UK, Dialectal To whistle with a shrill pipe, like a plover.

Related terms: whewee

whew

verb

1

UK, Dialectal To bustle about.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.