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Pho, which first appeared in print in English in 1935, was borrowed from a Vietnamese word which was spelled phở. English speakers replaced the vowel with "o" but preserved the pronunciation as "fuh," rather than "foh." Another Vietnamese food word that was borrowed into English is nuoc mam, which refers to a type of fish sauce that is fermented in brine. In that case as well, the original Vietnamese word had accent marks that were lost on the journey into English. Nuoc mam was recorded in English just a few years before pho arrived.
Examples of pho in a Sentence
New York Times, 18 June 2024
Manager Chi Ngo says an average of 500 bowls leave the kitchen a day, and the least busy times are 10 a.m., when the doors open, and between 3 and 6 p.m.
Like wine in the glass, pho changes flavor in the bowl over time.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 26 June 2024
There’s nothing quite like the warmth that spreads through your body after the first slurp of a steaming bowl of pho on a cold Connecticut day.
—Maddi Langweil, Hartford Courant, 29 Jan. 2024
What can appear as occurring every second, a whole tray of pho can be seen dancing around tables to reach the next hungry customer.
—Maddi Langweil, Hartford Courant, 29 Jan. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pho 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pho.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pho
Cite this Entry
“Pho.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pho. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.
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