interjection

whoa

whoa

Whoa, that was a close call!

Whoa, that was a close call!

Whoa, slow down a little bit.

Whoa, slow down a little bit.

Whoa, ... used at the beginning of a sentence to express surprise or to tell someone to stop. Whoa, look at that!

Synonyms: wow, hey, stop

Originally a call to stop a horse, from the 17th century.

Imagine pulling the reins on a horse and shouting 'Whoa!' to make it stop. This helps remember its meaning of 'stop' or 'slow down'.

This page is designed for learning support. Please use it as a learning reference, not as a formal reference.