oh

1 of 3

interjection

(ˈ)ō 

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

ˈō 

: zero

OH

3 of 3

abbreviation

Ohio

Synonyms of oh

Noun

• nothing
• zero
• aught

Examples of oh in a Sentence

Noun

the number is one-oh-two-four

Recent Examples on the Web

Interjection

Like, oh my goodness, is the business dying? —Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025

Made from recycled polyester and spandex, the crepe fabric has a waterfall effect that drapes oh-so-perfectly from the waist down. —Anne Taylor, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 2025

Vampires, witches, and taltos — oh, my! —Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Nov. 2025

And, oh yea, the last FIU quarterback not named Jenkins to win a game prior to Saturday was … Grayson James. —Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 9 Nov. 2025

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

1908, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing oh

• hit the big five-oh
• hit the big four-oh
• oh yeah
• uh-oh

Rhymes for oh

• beau
• beaux
• blow
• boe
• bro
• coe
• crow
• doe
• doh
• dough
• eau
• eaux

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

ˈō 

: zero entry 1 sense 1