what the fuck
- 1Used as an exclamation of astonishment, shock, incredulity, or disbelief, standing for a longer question left unsaid.
She stared at the bill for a long moment, then muttered, 'What the fuck?'
What the fuck? They canceled the flight an hour after we checked in?
Note
On its own the phrase does the work of a whole sentence: it squeezes a longer question, such as what is going on here, into one cry of disbelief. Its vulgarity keeps it to casual speech among people who will not be offended, and to dialogue quoted in print, where it marks a character at the end of their patience.
- 2A vulgar, intensified form of what, used to begin questions.
What the fuck happened to the money we set aside for rent?
He wanted to know what the fuck the manager meant by 'restructuring.'
Note
It slots in wherever what opens a question and adds force but no new meaning: what the fuck happened asks what happened, only louder. A whole ladder of milder swaps keeps the emphasis without the taboo word, from what the heck and what on earth to what in God's name and what the dickens. It works inside reported questions too: he asked what the fuck she meant.
- 3Used to brush off any consequences, showing a careless attitude toward something one is about to do.
After ten years at the bank, he shrugged, said 'what the fuck,' and booked a one-way ticket abroad.
We were already late, so we figured what the fuck and stopped for tacos anyway.
Note
Here the phrase is a shrug, not a cry: it comes just before a decision and waves the risk away, sometimes after an eh. Risky Business (1983) turned it into a small philosophy ("What the fuck gives you freedom") and the relaxed tone is what separates it from the shocked exclamation, though it is just as vulgar.
Practice
Can you tell the meanings of what the fuck apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.