interjection

noun

in·ter·jec·tion ˌin-tər-ˈjek-shən

Synonyms of interjection next

: an ejaculatory utterance usually lacking grammatical connection: such as

: a word or phrase used in exclamation (such as Heavens! Dear me!)

: a cry or inarticulate utterance (such as Alas! ouch! phooey! ugh!) expressing an emotion

: the act of uttering exclamations : ejaculation

: the act of putting in between : interposition

: something that is interjected or that interrupts

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What is an interjection?

An interjection is a word or phrase that is grammatically independent from the words around it, and mainly expresses feeling rather than meaning.

Oh, what a beautiful house!

Uh-oh, this looks bad.

Well, it's time to say good night.

Actually, um, it's not my dog.

Shoot. I thought I'd fixed that.

I can't believe I lost the key! Ugh!

Interjections are common in speech and are much more common in electronic messages than in other types of writing.

Example Sentences

interjections such as “oh,” “alas,” and “wow” a chorus of angry interjections greeted the announcement that our flight would be delayed

Recent Examples on the Web Trump’s comments were repeatedly punctuated by Collins’ interjections, fact-checking the former president’s claims about the election. —

J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 10 May 2023 As usual with anything at a Swift show, there were tens of thousands of cameras trained on her, and one 25-second clip of the singer’s interjections on Twitter had amassed more than 3 million views by Sunday morning. —

Chris Willman, Variety, 14 May 2023 Probst is enthusiastic about this interjection. —

Carrie Battan, The New Yorker, 29 Dec. 2021 On Tuesday night, the Senate Finance Committee voted unanimously to recommend Alviti’s confirmation after nearly three hours of testimony, which included a scathing critique from a high school student and an angry interjection by Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio. —

Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Mar. 2023 There’s a pitcher of gravy for pouring, and creamy horseradish sauce for invigorating interjection. —

Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Feb. 2023 It’s been an unfortunate interjection in the run-up to the next release, in a franchise whose marquee stars have already made pains to disavow Rowling’s convictions repeatedly. —

Shamira Ibrahim, Essence, 6 Apr. 2022 Happy and healthy is a relatively new interjection in a movement that has historically fought for fat acceptance and offered so much to those in eating disorder recovery. —

Your Fat Friend, SELF, 9 Jan. 2023 Multiple staffers viewed the occasional interjection from both West Brands and Adidas corporate as lip service. —

Matt Sullivan, Rolling Stone, 23 Nov. 2022 See More

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