phwoar
To exclaim "phwoar".
Etymology timeline
Born ~1980 · 3 years of recorded useSeen in the wild
Phwoar what start to May with some of these banging games @waxheadsgame.bsky.social @bchezza.bsky.social @greyalien.bsky.social
But at last I could shout about my sexuality.’ Photograph: Richard Saker/The Guardian This article is more than **3 years old** # ‘When my wife fawned over Richard Gere, I was secretly thinking, phwoar!’: the people w…
In [an FT prize crossword](https://media.ft.com/cms/cd186b36-72aa-11e1-9be9-00144feab49a.pdf), Mudd – [known locally as Paul](https://www.guardian.co.uk/crosswords/crossword-blog/2011/sep/22/crossword-blog-meet-the-se…
Definitions
(UK, slang) Expresses amazement.
“But at last I could shout about my sexuality.’ Photograph: Richard Saker/The Guardian This article is more than **3 years old** # ‘When my wife fawned over Richard Gere, I was secretly thinking, phwoar!’: the people who come out in later life This article is more than 3 years old Olympic athlete Kelly Holmes spoke openly about her sexuality last month for the first time at the age of 52.”
That Susan, phwoar!
"phwoar" means expresses amazement. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
"phwoar" is informal English meaning expresses amazement. It is mainly heard in British English (and Irish English). A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like "expresses amazement" expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to assume "phwoar" can replace its standard equivalent in every register; keep it for spoken or casual situations and use the formal form in writing. If you are a B2 or C1 learner, it is useful to recognise this word when you hear or read it, but think carefully about whether the situation really calls for it before using it yourself.
“But at last I could shout about my sexuality.’ Photograph: Richard Saker/The Guardian This article is more than **3 years old** # ‘When my wife fawned over Richard Gere, I was secretly thinking, phwoar!’: the people who come out in later life This article is more than 3 years old Olympic athlete Kelly Holmes spoke openly about her sexuality last month for the first time at the age of 52.”
“In [an FT prize crossword](https://media.ft.com/cms/cd186b36-72aa-11e1-9be9-00144feab49a.pdf), Mudd – [known locally as Paul](https://www.guardian.co.uk/crosswords/crossword-blog/2011/sep/22/crossword-blog-meet-the-setter-paul) – disguised the definition … > 3d **I fancy that** provides the acid test, finding love _in_ conflict (6) … of PHWOAR.”
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Show 1 more dictionary-style sense (imported)
To exclaim "phwoar".
“Phwoar what start to May with some of these banging games @waxheadsgame.bsky.social @bchezza.bsky.social @greyalien.bsky.social”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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