pho

noun \ ˈfə , ˈfō \

|Updated on: 13 Aug 2018

Definition of pho

: a soup made of beef or chicken broth and rice noodles

pho was our Word of the Day on 07/10/2014. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of pho from the Web

From risotto to pho, our favorite dishes demand bowls, and bowls demand spoons.

— bee wilson, WSJ, "The Comfort of Bowl Food," 13 July 2018
Food ☆☆ 1/2 All the familiar basics of Vietnamese restaurants are here, if spottily executed: bun (noodle bowls); somewhat lackluster pho; good fried and so-so fresh rolls.

— kate washington, sacbee, "Saigon Street Eat offers up ultra-cheap Vietnamese food for a burgeoning Broadway," 12 Apr. 2018
His perfect meal was the street-stall pho of his favourite country, Vietnam.

— The Economist, "Anthony Bourdain committed suicide on June 8th," 16 June 2018
Pho Saigon Pearl Vietnamese crepes, spring rolls, pho noodle soups and vermicelli bowls are among the many offerings at this Vietnamese restaurant at Thunderbird Road and 59th Avenue in Glendale.

— jennifer mcclellan, azcentral, "19 new restaurants opened in Phoenix in May for donuts, salads, tacos, pizza," 1 June 2018
Lobster and Pho will feature lobster rolls, which Lee says will offer lobster in every bite, as well as pho -- a Vietnamese noodle soup -- and dinner fare including Cajun seafood.

— laura bednar, cleveland.com, "Lobster and Pho restaurant to open this May in Rockside Corners Shopping Center in Independence," 16 Apr. 2018
Other shops feature carved meats, breakfast, pizza, pho (Vietnamese noodle soup) and a Starbucks.

— debbi snook, cleveland.com, "Chef Jose Andres' concept headlines new Cleveland Clinic food court (photos)," 10 May 2018
Korean burger shacks, Ethiopian beer gardens, poke joints, and cult pho spots became the new norm.

— adam h. graham, Condé Nast Traveler, "Plan a Trip to Zurich This Summer (Yes, Really)," 2 May 2018
Owners Cat Nguyen and Angie Dang are transforming the Montrose shop into a pho shop named Les Noo'dle.

— darla guillen, Houston Chronicle, "Houston restaurants and bars that recently closed," 22 Mar. 2018

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

Did You Know?

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.