Phew

[0152] Thank God

🎲 That's a relief
English Idioms
All Idioms

Explanation

  • An expression of relief or gratitude that something bad did not happen or that something good did happen.

Origin

  • Directly references gratitude towards a divine being (God).
  • While religious in origin, it's very commonly used secularly by people who aren't religious, purely as an exclamation of relief.
  • Similar expressions exist across many cultures and languages.

Synonyms & Related Expressions

  • Thank goodness. (Slightly milder, avoids direct religious reference)
  • Thank heavens. (Similar to 'Thank goodness')
  • Phew. / Whew.
  • What a relief. / That's a relief.
  • Fortunately... / Luckily...

Alternatives

Slang/Informal:

  • TGIF (Thank God It's Friday specific context)

Milder:

  • Thank goodness.
  • Thank heavens.
  • Oh, good.
  • That's fortunate.

Vulgar/Emphatic (Expressing strong relief, sometimes after intense worry):

  • Fucking finally! (More about the end of waiting/suffering than luck)
  • Jesus Christ, finally. (Using religious name as exclamation)

Situational Appropriateness

  • Widely acceptable in most informal and semi-formal situations.
  • Some might prefer Thank goodness in professional or very secular settings to avoid potential religious implications, although Thank God is often used without religious intent.

Misunderstanding Warnings

  • Non-native speakers might assume the speaker is strongly religious, even though it's often used secularly.
  • The level of relief intended might be misjudged if the cultural context of its common usage isn't understood.

Examples

  • Thank God you're safe!
  • I found my wallet, thank God.
  • Thank God it stopped raining before the picnic.

Dialogue

Person A: Did the flight get delayed because of the snow?

Person B: No, we took off just before it got really bad. Thank God.

Person A: Oh, thank God. I was worried you'd be stuck there.

Social Media Examples

  • Tweet: Found my lost cat hiding under the porch! Thank God! 😭❤️ #LostAndFound #Relief
  • Facebook Status: Passed the exam! Thank God, I was so stressed about it.
  • Instagram Caption: Finally arrived after a nightmare travel day. Thank God for hotel beds! 🙏

Response Patterns

  • Agreement: I know, right? / Tell me about it. / Definitely.
  • Shared relief: Amen to that. (Even used secularly) / You can say that again.
  • Acknowledgment: Yeah, lucky. / That was fortunate.

Common Follow-up Questions/Actions

After hearing Thank God:

  • Often followed by agreement or asking for more details about the situation that prompted the relief. What happened? / I was worried too.

After saying Thank God:

  • Often followed by explaining the reason: Thank God... I really needed this job.
  • Might involve a physical expression of relief (sigh, smile).

Conversation Starter

  • No. It's a reaction to a situation or piece of information.

Intonation

  • Emphasis usually falls strongly on God. Thank GOD.
  • Can also have emphasis on Thank. THANK God.
  • The tone is one of genuine relief or gratitude.

Generation Differences

  • Used across all generations.

Regional Variations

  • Universal in English-speaking countries.
Phew
🎲 That's a relief