Meaning
No worries is an informal Australian expression meaning that there is no problem or cause for concern. It is also commonly used as a friendly response to thanks or to indicate that a request can be handled.
How it is used
The Australian National Dictionary Centre describes no worries as a colloquial assurance meaning no bother or no trouble and says it is very common in Australia. Cambridge documents three common modern functions: telling someone not to be concerned, responding warmly to thanks, and indicating willingness or ability to do what someone has asked.
Examples
- “Sorry I'm a few minutes late. — No worries.”
- “Thanks for helping with the bags. — No worries.”
- “Can you send that through this afternoon? — No worries.”
Pronunciation
/nəʊ ˈwʌr.iz/ · noh WUR-eez
Tone and register
Relaxed, reassuring, and cooperative in ordinary use. It can make an apology, thank-you exchange, or small request feel less formal, but the phrase does not literally promise that every underlying problem has been resolved.
Visitor guidance
Visitors can safely recognize no worries as a highly useful informal response. It works naturally after a minor apology, a thank-you, or a routine request. Because the expression has spread beyond Australia, it should be described as strongly Australian-associated rather than exclusively Australian today.
Cultural context
The phrase is often treated as emblematic of a relaxed Australian conversational style. The Australian National Dictionary Centre records related forms such as no worries, mate, no wuckers, and nurries, while ABC reporting on Australian English identifies no worries as one of the everyday expressions that newly arrived migrants often need to learn.
Origin
The Australian National Dictionary Centre describes no worries as a colloquial development of not to worry, first recorded in Australian evidence in the 1960s. Its modern use has spread beyond Australia, so Maperla separates Australian history and cultural association from present-day exclusivity.
Places represented
Open the reviewed place guide for each regional sense carried by this canonical entry.