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

Noun

• nothing
• zero
• aught

Examples of oh in a Sentence

Noun

the number is one-oh-two-four

Recent Examples on the Web

Interjection

In 2021, the former TV journalist accompanied her partner to business meetings with world leaders, a speech at his space company Blue Origin, and a charitable gala. 2022: Movie premieres, commencements, oh my! —Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 25 June 2025

And, as Alex DeLarge soon discovers, oh my brothers and only friends, conformity may be as dangerous as the chaos. —Paul Fitzgerald, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2025

The hotel itself had certainly seen better days, but oh, the wonder of having even a bad Syrian glass of wine in a dining room literally steps away from the ruins. —Jane Arraf, NPR, 11 June 2025

Eccleston brought frantic and wild energy to the Doctor, but when things got serious, oh boy did Eccleston get serious. —Richard Edwards, Space.com, 29 May 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

1936, 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