whoa
whoa — exclamation
1. a word you say to a horse or other riding animal to tell it to stop moving.
a word you say to a horse or other riding animal to tell it to stop moving.
As they reached the gate, Christopher pulled the reins and shouted, "Whoa!"
whoa as a direct command to a horse
The farmer's pony did not respond to the command "whoa" and kept trotting toward the cornfield.
"Whoa, boy!" called Esteban as the horse approached the edge of the stream.
Grandpa taught Ilan to say "whoa" firmly whenever the pony started to run.
- stop
direct instruction rather than a calling sound; less traditional with horses
- giddyup
the command to make a horse go forward
文法句型
whoa — said directly to an animal
用法筆記
This is the original use of 'whoa' and remains the most common meaning when speaking to animals. The tone is usually firm and drawn out: 'whoa-a-a.'
常見錯誤
2. a word you say to tell another person to halt an action, go at a gentler pace, o
a word you say to tell another person to halt an action, go at a gentler pace, or pause before moving forward.
Whoa, that is way too much sugar for one cup of tea, Diya.
whoa + reason for objecting
"Whoa, slow down — I cannot write that fast," said Felix to the guest speaker.
whoa + follow-up imperative (slow down)
Sora held up both hands and said, "Whoa, let us all take a deep breath before we argue."
Whoa, you are reading three books at once? How do you keep track of all the stories?
- go ahead
the opposite instruction — continue without pausing
- keep going
encourages continuation rather than stopping
文法句型
whoa + imperative clause
whoa + declarative clause (objection)
用法筆記
Often followed by a clarifying sentence that explains the objection. Common in face-to-face conversation; the tone can be friendly ('slow down so I can follow') or firm ('stop what you are doing').
常見錯誤
3. a word you say when you are suddenly surprised, impressed, or very interested in
a word you say when you are suddenly surprised, impressed, or very interested in something you see, hear, or learn.
Whoa! Did you see that bicycle jump over three parked cars?
whoa with exclamation mark for strong surprise
Yara opened the box and said, "Whoa, this is way more than I expected."
Whoa, I did not realise the museum had a dinosaur skeleton that big.
"Whoa, look at the size of that spider!" whispered Nia, pointing at the ceiling.
文法句型
whoa — standalone exclamation
whoa + declarative clause (reaction)
用法筆記
The tone is drawn out ("whoa-a-a") for greater surprise. This sense overlaps with 'wow,' but 'whoa' adds a sense of needing to pause and take in what you have just seen or heard.
常見錯誤
whoa — verb
1. used as a command to yourself or a group to stop and think more carefully before
used as a command to yourself or a group to stop and think more carefully before continuing with a plan, decision, or line of thought.
Christopher was about to sign the contract when he thought, whoa — better check the details first.
self-command: thought + whoa + reconsideration
"Whoa there," said the team leader, "we have not considered how much this will cost."
whoa there as a group instruction to pause
I was about to send an angry reply, but I told myself whoa — take a breath first.
The committee was rushing to a vote when Jason called out, "Whoa — let us hear from the other side first."
- hold up
more direct; less reflective than 'whoa'
- hang on
softer and more conversational
- let's think about this
a full phrase rather than a single-word command
- go for it
encourages action without hesitation
文法句型
whoa — said to oneself or a group to pause decision-making
用法筆記
Functions as an imperative verb — you are giving a command, but the command is directed at yourself or everyone involved rather than at a specific person. Often followed by 'there' ("whoa there") for extra emphasis. This sense is more reflective than exclamation sense 2: here the point is to reconsider, not just to slow down physically.