variants or less commonly O
1
used to express an emotion (such as surprise or desire) or in response to physical stimuli
Oh, no! I forgot my key.
Oh, don't stop!
2
used in direct address
oh, waiter! Will you come here, please?
3
used to express acknowledgment or understanding of a statement
Oh, yes. It's one of my favorite cities.
4
used to introduce an example or approximation
Their house is about, oh, I'd say four miles from here.

oh

2 of 3

noun

: zero

OH

3 of 3

abbreviation

Ohio

Examples of oh in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Interjection
The subsequent screaming and yelling (why, oh why, do any of us go online?) left one unusual contour to this story overlooked. Jordan Hoffman, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024 Your argument sounds oh so appealing under the Scorpio moon. USA TODAY, 29 Feb. 2024 The gossip, the stories, the laughter and, oh boy, all that smoke. Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Feb. 2024 Sudden death commands everyone’s attention, oh elders, oh heads of the family. Joshua Kagavi, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024 The framing of this financially, critically, and culturally successful box-office juggernaut as a victim of the patriarchy has awakened one notable defender in — oh my God, of course — Hillary Clinton, who has found common cause with the reductive feminism at play here. Vulture, 24 Jan. 2024 Lemons, tangerines and grapefruit, oh my! St. Mary’s Food Bank is collecting citrus donations from across the Valley to re-distribute to the local community from now until April 30. The Arizona Republic, 11 Jan. 2024 And, oh, the wonderful food in Marseille and Paris and a countryside restaurant in the Dordogne. Laurie Ochoa, Los Angeles Times, 30 Dec. 2023 There’s no Wi-Fi, Amanda’s daughter can’t finish Friends, oh, and the world might be ending. Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 22 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'oh.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Interjection

Middle English o

Noun

o; from the similarity of the symbol for zero (0) to the letter O

First Known Use

Interjection

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1936, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of oh was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near oh

Cite this Entry

“Oh.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oh. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

oh

1 of 2 interjection
variants or O
(ˈ)ō
1
used to express an emotion (as astonishment or desire) or in response to a physical sensation (as pain)
2
used in direct address
Oh sir, you forgot your change
3
used to express understanding of a statement
oh, that's what you mean
4
used to introduce an example or a guess
there are probably, oh, six or seven different ways to do that

oh

2 of 2 noun

More from Merriam-Webster on oh

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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