Eww
exclamation
Definition
1. (exclamation) An expression of disgust or strong dislike — used when something looks, smells, tastes, or feels repulsive.
Context Alive
You open the fridge looking for something to eat and find a container at the back that's been there for at least two weeks. You pop the lid off and a horrible smell hits you instantly. The food inside has turned green and fuzzy. You slam the lid back on and say "eww!" loud enough for your flatmate to hear from the other room. She shouts back "just throw it away!" — and you do, holding it at arm's length the whole way to the bin.
Meanings
1 meanings 1 An Expression of Disgust (Exclamation) Very Common ▼
This meaning is about reacting to something that grosses you out — something that looks, smells, tastes, or feels disgusting. Imagine walking down the street and stepping on something soft and wet — you look down and realise you've stepped right into a pile of dog mess. You lift your shoe and say "eww" as you scrape it off on the kerb. This is describing an instant, instinctive reaction to something repulsive. You might say "eww, what's that smell?" when you walk into a room and notice something rotten, or someone could say "eww, that's disgusting" when they see a video of insects crawling over food. Or picture a child trying a new vegetable for the first time — she takes one bite, pulls a face, and says "eww" before spitting it into a napkin. The word is a pure gut reaction — short, sharp, and completely instinctive.
✏️ The spelling varies a lot: ew, eww, ewww — more w's mean more disgust. It's one of the most common expressions in texting and social media, often accompanied by a nauseated face emoji. Eww is universal across English — American, British, Australian — everyone uses it. It's completely informal and you'd never see it in writing outside of casual messages or dialogue.
Common Patterns
Basic Structures
Eww! → used on its own as an instant reaction to something disgusting
Eww! There's a spider in the bath!
Eww, that's + adjective → reacting and then describing what's gross about it
Eww, that's absolutely revolting.
Eww, + question → disgust followed by wanting to understand what you're seeing
Eww, what is that on your shoe?
Common Uses
Eww, no! → rejecting something strongly because it's disgusting
Try this cheese? Eww, no! It smells terrible.
Eww, gross! → the classic combination — disgust plus confirmation
Eww, gross! Who left this in the fridge?
Eww + extended w's (ewww / ewwww) → drawn out for emphasis — the longer, the more disgusted
Ewwww, I can't even look at that.
Collocations
7 collocationseww, gross
the most classic pairing — instant disgust
eww, disgusting
a stronger version — something truly repulsive
eww, that's nasty
reacting to something unpleasant with casual disgust
eww, no
firmly rejecting something because it's gross
eww, what's that smell
reacting to a bad odour
eww, don't touch it
warning someone to stay away from something disgusting
eww factor
the quality that makes something disgusting — how gross it is
Example Sentences
10 examples
1
Eww, there's mould all over the bread — throw it away!
Ugh, the bread is completely covered in mould — get rid of it!
2
Eww, what's that smell coming from the bin?
Gross, what's that awful stench coming from the rubbish?
3
She looked at the plate of snails and said "eww, I'm not eating that."
She stared at the plate of snails and said there was no way she was trying them.
4
Eww, gross! The dog just licked my face right on the mouth.
Ugh, disgusting! The dog just put its tongue straight on my lips.
5
I opened the old lunchbox and — eww — the sandwich had turned completely green.
I opened the forgotten lunchbox and the sandwich inside had gone totally mouldy.
6
"Eww, don't show me that!" she screamed when he held up the dead fish.
"That's disgusting, get it away from me!" she yelled when he waved the dead fish around.
7
Eww, I just stepped in something wet and I'm not wearing shoes.
Ugh, I just stood on something damp and my feet are bare.
8
The kids all said "eww" when the teacher showed them a photo of a tapeworm.
The whole class groaned in disgust when the teacher put up a picture of a parasite.
9
Eww, this milk has gone off — it smells absolutely terrible.
Ugh, this milk is expired — it smells absolutely foul.
10
He picked up the rubbish with his bare hands and I was like "eww, use gloves!"
He grabbed the waste without gloves and I told him that was disgusting.
Synonyms & Antonyms
6 items
Synonymsyuck
equally common and informal — same meaning, slightly more childlike
ugh
broader — expresses disgust but also frustration or annoyance
gross
works as both an adjective and an exclamation — very common among younger speakers
Antonymsyum
an expression of delight — especially about food that looks or tastes delicious
mmm
a sound of pleasure and enjoyment — the opposite reaction to something appealing
ooh
an expression of positive excitement or admiration — the opposite of disgust