ew

Everyday

(informal) "Ew!" is a sound people make to show disgust, when something seems dirty, smelly or gross. tree →

In the lessons

Very common in children's speech, chat and comics, especially in North America but now everywhere. It tells the reader that a character finds something disgusting, like slime, a bug or kissing. In writing, the more w's, the stronger the feeling ("ewwww"). Phrases: «Ew, gross!», «Eww, that's disgusting».

Examples

• Ew! There's a slug in my shoe! tree →
• "Ew, gross!" said Chloe when her brother burped. tree →
• Eww, this milk smells off. tree →
• "They're kissing!" "Ewww!" tree →
• Ew, don't touch that, it's sticky. tree →
• The class all said "ew" when the teacher showed the worm. tree →

Note

An interjection, not a full word; usually written with an exclamation mark. Pronounced like "eee-oo". Spelling varies (ew, eww, ewww). Similar: yuck, ugh, gross. It is informal, so not used in school essays except in speech marks.