Meanings
interjectionwhat the Devil?
- idiomaticmildlyvulgarUsed to add emphasis to “what” when beginning a question.
What the Devil have you done to the horse?
1 more example
What the devyll hast thou on thy fyste? An owle?
c. 1515–1516, John Skelton, Magnyfycence; republished in John Scattergood, editor, John Skelton: The Complete English Poems, 1983, →OCLC, page 166, line 922Synonyms: what the dickens, what on earth, what in God's name
Synonyms & antonyms
interjectionUsed to add emphasis to “what” when beginning a question.
Similar
what the dickenswhat on earthwhat in God's name
Origin
- Middle Englishwhat þe devel
- Englishwhat the Devil
Inherited from Middle English what þe devel, what devel.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish mitä pirua
- mitä piruaused to add emphasis to "what" when beginning question
French que diable
- que diableused to add emphasis to "what" when beginning question
German was zum Teufel
- was zum Teufelused to add emphasis to "what" when beginning question
Irish cad é an diabhal, cad san diabhal
- cad é an diabhalused to add emphasis to "what" when beginning question
- cad san diabhalused to add emphasis to "what" when beginning question
Romanian ce dracu
- ce dracuused to add emphasis to "what" when beginning question
Russian како́го чёрта, что за чёрт
- како́го чёрта (kakóvo čórta)used to add emphasis to "what" when beginning question
- что за чёрт (što za čort)used to add emphasis to "what" when beginning question
Cite this entry
APA
what the Devil. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/what%20the%20Devil
MLA
“what the Devil.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/what%20the%20Devil. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “what the Devil,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/what%20the%20Devil.
Source: what the Devil on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.