whoa

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Pronunciation

• (British) IPA: /wəʊ/, /ʍəʊ/
• (America) enPR wō, IPA: /woʊ/, /ʍoʊ/

Interjection

1. Stop (especially when commanding a horse or imitative thereof); calm down; slow down.

   Whoa, Nelly!

2. An expression of surprise.

   Whoa, are you serious?

3. Used as a meaningless filler in song lyrics.
   • 2003, "Weird Al" Yankovic, eBay (song) (song)

     I am the type who is liable to snipe you
     With two seconds left to go, whoa.

   • 2010, Bruce Springsteen, It's a Shame

     And oh whoa girl, it's a shame.
     Oh whoa girl, it's a doggone shame.

Antonyms

• (stop, said to a horse) giddyup, giddap

Translations

• French: ho, holà, stop
• German: brr, oha
• Portuguese: alto!, ou!
• Russian: тпру
• Spanish: so

Translations

• German: langsam
• Spanish: so

Translations

• French: ouah
• German: boah, boa, oha, öha (dialectal), eha (dialectal)
• Portuguese: nossa!
• Russian: ого
• Spanish: guau, híjole

Verb

whoa (whoas, present participle whoaing; past and past participle whoaed)

1. (transitive) To attempt to slow (an animal) by crying "whoa".
   • 1926, Josephine Demott Robinson, The Circus Lady (page 38)

     He was whoaing the horses loudly, and they did seem to be going faster than usual—in fact, they were galloping.

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