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Definition of welp

welp

/wɛlp/
welp
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welp Lexical Profile

welp Game Scores & Validity

• interjection

1

North American Used as a colloquial variant of 'well' to express resignation, mild disappointment, awkwardness, or the acceptance of an unavoidable situation, or to signal the end of a conversation or the need to leave.

Example

"Welp, it looks like our flight is delayed again, so we might as well grab some coffee."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for welp

Word Nuance & Usage

Do not confuse 'welp' with the near-homophone 'whelp', which is a noun meaning a puppy or cub, or a verb meaning to give birth to puppies.

• Rhymes for welp

• Nearby Words

wellness
wellspring
welly
welp
wels
wels catfish
welsh

Word Origin & Etymology

Originating in mid-20th-century American English as a phonetic spelling of the discourse marker 'well' pronounced with an unreleased final bilabial stop (closing the lips at the end of the word), and later popularized globally through internet culture.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Welp. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/welp
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