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Glite Dictionary
😅 Express relief 😮‍💨 To exhale sharply
to whew

to whew

9.1
To make a short sound by breathing out to show relief, surprise, or tiredness
  • verb
  • /wuː/
  • Informal
translation icon : resoplar
  • As she stepped off the roller coaster, she let out a loud 'whew!' to express her excitement.

Examples

  • When he finally found his lost keys, he exclaimed, 'whew! That was a close call!'

  • Our friends in Alameda invited us over to their neighborhood, and whew mama, those guys TURN.

    Blog text (32)

  • After finishing the marathon, she paused to catch her breath and said, 'whew!' as a sign of relief.

Antonyms

to inhale
84 2.7

To breathe in air, smoke, or gas into your lungs

Surface Forms

whew infinitive
whew past
whew past participle
whewing present participle
whews third person singular

Etymology

Whew as a verb comes from that same sound and means to make a quick exhale or short noise, like catching your breath after running. So to whew is to 'breathe out' quickly to show 'relief', 'surprise', or 'exhaustion'.