Sheesh is an exclamation of surprise, like wow, or of annoyance, like come on or give me a break. People say it in reaction to something surprising or irritating: a sky-high price, a pile of homework, the same question over and over. It sounds informal and fits conversations with friends and chats.
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sheesh!; sheesh, + comment (that's…/ it took…); sheesh, relax / calm down
- Sheesh, forty pounds for a taxi from the station? That's crazy.
- Sheesh, relax, I said I'd do the dishes after the film.
- Did you see how much homework we got for Monday? Sheesh.
What changed
First versionDear colleagues, sheesh, the printer on the second floor is broken again.
RevisionDear colleagues, unfortunately, the printer on the second floor is broken again.
An email to all your colleagues is still a work email, while sheesh expresses annoyance the way you would when chatting with friends. In work emails, frustration is expressed more calmly: unfortunately. Only this word changes.
Yikes is the closest word to sheesh, but the emotions are different. Yikes conveys alarm or fear, while sheesh is surprise or annoyance without fear: Sheesh, it took me two hours to get home. If the annoyance is aimed at the person you're talking to (Sheesh, relax!), it sounds mildly irritated, so it's best avoided with people you don't know well. In IELTS Speaking, use I was really surprised or it was quite annoying instead of sheesh.
Your turn
___, you've asked me the same question five times! The train leaves at nine.
Show the answer
Sheesh — The speaker is irritated: they're being asked the same question for the fifth time. Sheesh conveys that kind of annoyance. Oops is for your own small slip-up, and the speaker isn't the one who made a mistake here.
Write to a friend about something that recently surprised or annoyed you: a price, a queue, a transport delay. Start with sheesh and include a specific number.
Sheesh, a coffee at the airport cost me six pounds this morning.
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