Standard Lemma guide

whammo

intj · noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈwæməʊ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈwæmoʊ/
  • /ˈhwæmoʊ/ without the wine–whine merger
  • rhymes with -æməʊ

1

intj

Meaning 1

Used to emphasize the suddenness of an event.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

Examples

  • So, I'm driving along when, whammo, a tree falls in front of the car.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An action-packed scene in a film, etc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From wham + -o.