the fuck

phrase

Used with an interrogative pronoun as an intensifier to express anger, frustration, incredulity, or other strong emotion.

“Shut the fuck up!”

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Meanings

phrase
  1. slangvulgarUsed with an interrogative pronoun as an intensifier to express anger, frustration, incredulity, or other strong emotion.

    So the man didn't like publicity; so the fuck what?

    2010 January 28, Stephen Metcalf, “Salinger’s Genius”, in Slate, New York, N.Y.: The Slate Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 21 Nov 2023
    2 more examples

    "Let me get you a glass!" she beams, then drags me to the adjacent room to see her press officer, hairdresser and makeup artist tucking into food and fizz. "Look at this!" she says, mock-appalled at the scene. "Seriously, what the fuck is this about?"

    2011 April 29, Tim Jonze, quoting Cat Deeley, “Nerdy but nice”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 15 Nov 2023

    Poland is depressing and there's vampires in Romania. Spain is far too hot and where the fuck is Lithuania?

    2016 June 19, “Brexit” (14:33 from the start), in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 3, episode 16, via HBO
  2. slangvulgarUsed after verbs forming a part of a phrasal verb as an intensifier to imply aggressive emphasis.

    Shut the fuck up!

    5 more examples

    Get the fuck out!

    Calm the fuck down!

    Back the fuck off!

    Stay the fuck away from me!

    Hurry the fuck up.

  3. slangvulgarby ellipsisUsed as a shortened form of the common interrogative phrases.

    The fuck?

    (said incredulously; also as what the fuck?)

    4 more examples

    The fuck did you come from?

    Where the fuck did you come from?

    The fuck do you know all of this!?

    How the fuck do you know all of this?

    The fuck was that?

    What the fuck was that?

    The fuck you think you are?!

    Who the fuck do you think you are?

  4. slangvulgarUsed to emphatically express that something isn't true.

    —Mom, I'm going out with my friends tonight. —The fuck you are!

    1 more example

    ‘You're not a self-respecting person.’ ‘The fuck I ain't,’ the kid said.

    1997, Robert Stone, Dog Soldiers, page 88
  5. slangvulgarAfrican-American VernacularUsed to emphasize an adjective; fucking.

    I'm feeling the fuck good today.

    4 more examples

    "Not really. It was okay. Fucking Natalie's cousin was down there thinking she was the fuck cute. That bitch came up! She met a fucking dude that play for the damn NFL," I said as I sat down.

    2005, Daaimah S. Poole, What's Real, New York, N.Y.: Dafina Books, →ISBN, page 113

    Dudley [Althaus] taught me countless things about being a journalist. But the best advice was in three words: "Maybe I'm wrong." You get into a story. You think you have it figured out. But wait, "Maybe I'm the fuck wrong." Then you get deeper into it and discover things you had never thought of.

    2016, Ioan Grillo, Gangster Warlords: Drug Dollars, Killing Fields, and the New Politics of Latin America, New York, N.Y. […]: Bloomsbury Press, →ISBN, page 349

    "You can come over whenever you want to. I just got my stuff settled in here. You gon have to mind the place cause I haven't put anything up yet. I stay in Dunwoody. Close to Perimeter," I threw in there, so she would know that I was living the fuck goodt.

    2019, Tonya Williams, Give Them a Reason to Hate You Shawty: A Hood Love Story, Shan Presents, →ISBN, page 161

    rihanna ate kiss it better so tf bad

    2023 August 4, @mainbitchclique, Twitter, archived from the original on 19 Jan 2024

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
dickensfuckthe chuffthe fuckolathe sigmathe skibidiwhat the crapwhat the hell

Origin

Perhaps modelled after the hell, short for in the hell as in "What in the hell, ...".

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian да еба, да го еба
  • да еба (da eba)vulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • да го еба (da go eba)vulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
Catalan cony, carall
  • conyvulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • carallvulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • putesvulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • merdavulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • collonsvulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • d'una puta vegadavulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
  • collonsvulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
Czech kurva, do píči
  • kurvavulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • do píčivulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • do prdelevulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
Danish fanden, helvede
  • fandenvulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • helvedevulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • for fandenvulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
  • for helvedevulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
Dutch de kanker
  • de kankervulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
Esperanto diable, damne
  • diablevulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • damnevulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • fekevulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
Finnish hitto, vittu
  • hittovulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • vittuvulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
French putain, putain
  • putainvulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • putainvulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
German zum Teufel, zur Scheiße
  • zum Teufelvulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • zur Scheißevulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • verfickt nochmalvulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • verfickt nochmalvulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
Greek στον πούτσο, μαλακία
  • στον πούτσο (ston poútso)vulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • μαλακία (malakía)vulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • σκατά (skatá)vulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • γαμώτο (gamóto)vulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
Hungarian a fasz
  • a faszvulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
Icelandic andskotinn
  • andskotinnvulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
Italian cazzo
  • cazzovulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
Norwegian Bokmål i helvete, faen
  • i helvetevulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • faenvulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • for helvetevulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
  • for faenvulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
Polish do kurwy, do chuja
  • do kurwyvulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • do chujavulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • do pizdyvulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • kurwavulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
  • do chujavulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
  • do pizdyvulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
Portuguese caralho, merda
  • caralhovulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • merdavulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • porravulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • fodavulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • de uma puta vezvulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
  • caralhovulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
  • porravulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
Romanian pula mea, sloboz
  • pula meavulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • slobozvulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • pizda mă-siivulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • morții mă-siivulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • dumnezeii mă-siivulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • Paștele mă-siivulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • grijania mă-siivulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • rasa mă-siivulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • biserica mă-siivulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • futerevulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • căcatvulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • mă-savulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
Russian хули, блять
  • хули (xuli)vulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • блять (bljatʹ)vulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • ебать (jebatʹ)vulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • на́хуй (náxuj)vulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
  • блять (bljatʹ)vulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
  • в пизду (v pizdu)vulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
  • в жопу (v žopu)vulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
  • ебать (jebatʹ)vulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
Slovak kurva, do piče
  • kurvavulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • do pičevulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
Spanish coño, carajo
  • coñovulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • carajovulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • putasvulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • mierdavulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • lechevulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • cojonesvulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • mamada (s)vulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • chingadosvulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • de una puta vezvulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
  • carajovulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
  • jodervulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
  • coñovulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
Swedish i helvete, fan
  • i helvetevulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • fanvulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • för fanvulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
  • för helvetevulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
Turkish sikim, sik
  • sikimvulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • sikvulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • bokvulgar: intensifier used after interrogative pronouns
  • amına koyayımvulgar: intensifier forming part of a phrasal verb
Cite this entry
APA

the fuck. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20fuck

MLA

“the fuck.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20fuck. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “the fuck,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/the%20fuck.

Source: the fuck on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.