Have you had a long, stressful day at work? Are you ready to go home, take a hot shower, make yourself some tea, and relax? Perhaps you spend a good part of the day working on your fitness goals and just need some time to unwind. If so, we have just the term for you.
Chances are you need a little woosah in your life. In this post, you will learn the how to use the term woosah.
Meaning
The term “woosah” is a term used to mean relaxation or calmness. You may tell someone “woosah” when you are trying to get them to calm down or relax. This term can also refer to the action of taking calming breaths to relieve anger or frustration.
Though typically used as a verb to encourage someone to calm down, the phrase has also grown to be used as a noun, defined as “a state of calmness or relaxation”. The phrase can sometimes be used to convey excitement, though this is not as common of a use for the term.
Example Usage
“You seem a little stressed. Here, say this with me. Woosah”.
“Take a few breaths with me. Woosah”.
“Before you get angry, why don’t you say woosah a few times?”
“I need to woosah and relax before I say something I regret”.
“Woosah! That’s really cool!”
Origin
The term was first used and made popular by the 2002 film, Bad Boys II. In the film, Martin Lawrence’s character learns to use the word “woosah” to get himself into a state of relaxation in his anger management class. It is continuously used as a catchphrase by the character throughout the rest of the movie.
The term was added into the Urban Dictionary in 2003. Although it originated in a Hollywood movie, it can be found used in conversation, typically among the POC community. The term has also been used as the name of both an R&B song in 2014, and a rap album in 2017. Though not used as often as it was in the years following the release of Bad Boys II, it is still an easily recognizable term to this day.
Phrases Similar to Woosah
- Calm down.
- Relax.
- Take a deep breath.
- Meditative.
Phrases Opposite to Woosah
- Angry.
- Frustrated.
- Upset.
- Anxious.
What is the Correct Saying?
- “Woosah” – that is the full phrase in and of itself, and is pronounced as it appears.
Ways People May Incorrectly Say Woosah
The term woosah is used to indicate a sense of calmness or relaxation, or to get someone to calm down. Someone may incorrectly use the term woosah when they are trying to get someone to do the opposite of what the word actually means. An example of this may be, “I hate you! Woosah!”. Another way someone may use this term incorrectly is if they use it in relation to something that is not particularly relaxing or calm. Something like this could sound like, “Woosah, I just crashed my car”.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase Woosah
- If you are trying to calm someone down, you may say something like, “hey, breathe. Woosah”, or “take a deep breath. Woosah.”.
- If you are referring to something that is relaxing, you may say, “I just had a hot shower and now I’m making a nice cup of tea. Woosah”.
- If you want to use the word as a noun, you may say, “I am feeling so woosah right now.”
- If you were to use this term to refer to being excited about something, you could say, “Woosah! I got an A on my exam!”
- I promise I am not going to pop off, I just need to take a moment for some Woosah reflection.