# phew

/ˈfju/ (US) · /fjˈuː/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/phew
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. relief

interjection · CEFR B1 · Informal

you say this when you are happy that something bad did not happen or that a difficult task is finished.

For teachers: used to express relief following the resolution of a tense or dangerous situation.

- Phew, I thought I had lost my passport, but it was just in my other bag.
- Phew, that was a close call; if the manager had walked in a second earlier, he would have seen the surprise party preparations.

### 2. fatigue or heat

interjection · CEFR B1 · Informal

you say this when you are very tired or feeling very hot.

For teachers: used to express physical exhaustion or a reaction to oppressive heat.

- Phew, it is absolutely boiling in this office today.
- Phew, I am exhausted after climbing all those stairs because the elevator was broken again.

### 3. disgust

interjection · CEFR B2 · Informal

you say this when something smells very bad.

For teachers: used to express disgust, specifically in response to an unpleasant or overpowering odour.

- Phew, what is that smell coming from the fridge?
- Phew, someone needs to take the bins out immediately because the smell is becoming unbearable.

## Examples

- Phew, I am so glad that test is finally over.
- Phew, that was a close call; I almost missed the train because of the heavy traffic.
- Phew, I thought we had lost the client's data forever, but the IT department managed to recover the backup just in time.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.