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oh

interjection
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\ (ˈ)ō How to pronounce oh (audio) \
variants: or less commonly

Definition of oh

 (Entry 1 of 3)

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

oh

noun
\ ˈō How to pronounce oh (audio) \

Definition of oh (Entry 2 of 3)

: zero

OH

abbreviation

Definition of OH (Entry 3 of 3)

Ohio
Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about oh

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Synonyms for oh

Synonyms: Noun

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Examples of oh in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Interjection There’s nothing worse than writing a long email and having to oh-so-carefully click to change a double space or to fix a sentence structure. — Jacob Krol, CNN Underscored, "12 iPhone features you aren’t using and totally should be," 5 Jan. 2021 Humans fall into mental traps known as cognitive distortions all the time, pandemic or not, but oh boy did a few cognitive distortions have a field day in 2020. — Anna Borges, SELF, "The 13 Best Mental Health Tips I’ve Learning While Reporting Through the Pandemic," 28 Dec. 2020 Just saying the word Schioppettino (skee-oh-pet-TEE-noh) out loud produces a kind of verbal pop. — Esther Mobley, SFChronicle.com, "This California version of an obscure Italian red wine will make you feel electric," 16 Dec. 2020 Cowboy hats, fringe jeans, and line dancing fill the screen, but the hair (oh the hair!) is the real star of the four minutes of eye candy. — Laura Furr Mericas, Chron, "Kacey Musgraves and Troye Sivan's 'Easy' video is a denim, disco delight," 12 Dec. 2020 In a bid to reclaim her music skills and reconnect with her late father, Spalding travels to Spain to study with three tocaoras — the oh-so-rare female Flamenco guitar masters. — Krista Stevens, Longreads, "Longreads Best of 2020: Music Writing," 10 Dec. 2020 Here, past influences and daring risks add up to something that feels fresh -- but still familiar, like oh maybe an old cardigan. — Billboard Staff, Billboard, "The 50 Best Albums of 2020: Staff Picks," 7 Dec. 2020 Jojo and Francis, two hard-working and enthusiastic elves, are welcoming special kids to the NP for a first-of-its-kind experience and -- uh oh! — Mary Colurso | Mcolurso@al.com, al, "Christmas events in Alabama 2020: Lights, skating rinks, concerts, Santa visits and more," 4 Dec. 2020 Minimalists will veer toward simple string lights, while others may be lured by fun shapes (stars and snowflakes and strawberries, oh my!). — Lesley Kennedy, CNN Underscored, "24 Christmas lights to illuminate your home for the holidays," 1 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'oh.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of oh

Interjection

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1936, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for oh

Interjection

Middle English o

Noun

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

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Time Traveler for oh

Time Traveler

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

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Statistics for oh

Last Updated

17 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Oh.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oh. Accessed 21 Jan. 2021.

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More Definitions for oh

oh

interjection
How to pronounce OH (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of oh

 (Entry 1 of 2)

—used to express surprise, happiness, disappointment, or sadness
—used in response to a physical sensation (such as pain)
—used to address someone directly

oh

noun
How to pronounce OH (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of oh (Entry 2 of 2)

US —used to show the way the number 0 is often pronounced

See the full definition for oh in the English Language Learners Dictionary

oh

interjection
variants: also O \ ō , ˈō \

Kids Definition of oh

1 —used to express an emotion (as surprise or pain)Oh, why did I ever come here?
2 —used in direct addressOh, children, stop that noise!

OH

abbreviation

Kids Definition of OH

Ohio

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More from Merriam-Webster on oh

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for oh

Nglish: Translation of oh for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of oh for Arabic Speakers

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