whoa

Meaning

Intj

1. Stop (especially when commanding a horse or imitative thereof); calm down; slow down.
2. An expression of surprise.
3. Used as a meaningless filler in song lyrics.

Verb

To attempt to slow (an animal) by crying "whoa".

Synonyms

wow

oh

yikes

yow

stop

🛑

surprise

wait

stay

amazing

halt

slow down

Pronounced as (IPA)

/wəʊ/

Etymology

Whoa (c. 1843) is a variant of woa (c. 1840), itself a variant of wo (c. 1787), from who (c. 1450), ultimately from Middle English ho, hoo (interjection), probably from Old Norse hó! (interjection, also, a shepherd's call). Compare German ho, Old French ho ! (“hold!, halt!”).