unh
1
9.9
A short sound you make when you push or lift something heavy
- interjection
- Informal
:
uh
- Stop, unh.
Examples
-
As he pushed the car, he let out an unh to show his effort.
-
Unh, unh, unh.
-
Unh, unh, unh, uhn.
-
And I don't remember him hanging up, only the phone's unh unh unh unh, and then, after I unplugged it, its silence.
Fiction book (1993) -
unh, I can't lift this heavy box without help.
-
She grunted unh while trying to move the furniture.
Surface Forms
unh main
Etymology
Unh is an imitative, breathy sound people make when they push or lift something heavy. It is like the familiar word grunt and shows 'effort', which is why we use unh during lifting or pushing.