whoa

Whoa is an interjection used to express surprise, astonishment, or to call attention. It is also used as a command to calm or stop a horse or other animal. In contemporary English, whoa can function as a discourse marker, signaling a pause or a request for caution in conversation.

The word’s exact origins are uncertain, but it likely derives from an instinctive exclamation used to halt animals or to indicate the need to pause. It has been in use since at least the early modern period and has spread through American and global dialects via spoken language and popular media.

In usage, whoa appears in spoken English as an exclamation: whoa, that was close! It is written with an initial capital letter at the start of a sentence or phrase, and is commonly followed by punctuation such as an exclamation point or comma. As a command to animals, whoa is shouted to slow or stop a horse.

Orthography varies. The standard spelling in dictionaries is whoa. Informal variants include woah and waa; woah is common in informal writing and online communication, though many authorities still prefer whoa.

In popular culture, whoa appears frequently in lyrics, film dialogue, and memes as an emphatic exclamation. It is also used as a playful product name or brand in various contexts.