pho

noun \ ˈfə , ˈfō \

Updated on: 10 Apr 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

In late 2017, cigar and pho spot Stixx opened at 361 Indiana Ave.

— amy bartner, Indianapolis Star, "Cigar and dance lounge opening this summer at Circle Centre mall," 28 Mar. 2018
Like pho, Vietnam’s beloved beef noodle soup, banh mi has expanded far beyond the country’s borders.

— michael russell | the oregonian/oregonlive, OregonLive.com, "We blind tested and ranked Portland's best banh mi," 22 Mar. 2018
Pho at Pho Ao Sen: Pho Ao Sen’s southern-style pho is soothing enough to eat at any hour of the day and aromatically complex enough to marvel over each time a bowl arrives.

— sarah fritsche, San Francisco Chronicle, "Our favorite cure-all soups in San Francisco," 1 Mar. 2018
Create your own slurp-worthy pho at home by boiling rice noodles in beef broth with spinach and basil leaves and topping the mix with deli roast beef, scallions and a drizzle of chili garlic sauce.

— woman's day kitchen, Woman's Day, "Vietnamese Beef Soup," 24 Mar. 2014
The restaurant specialized in pho - a Vietnamese soup - and other Vietnamese comfort foods, plus craft beer and sake.

— randy tucker, Cincinnati.com, "Cilantro Vietnamese Bistro in Clifton Heights announces closure on Facebook," 14 Mar. 2018
Restaurants surely can’t put out pho at that diminutive price anymore.

— james patrick kelly, idahostatesman, "New Boise pho shop sticks to traditional preparations," 8 Feb. 2018
Choosing which Porsche 911 to buy is a bit like deciding which type of pho, the popular Vietnamese soup noodles, to order.

— jeff yip, Houston Chronicle, "Fast mover: 911 Carrera GTS is pure Porsche and loaded for bear," 26 Jan. 2018
Take, for example, pho, a noodle dish consisting of either beef or chicken broth that is simmered for hours before being served piping hot with a heaping plate of crunchy leafy greens and various aromatic herbs.

— christina liao, Vogue, "Beyond Pho and Banh Mi: 22 Must-Eat Vietnamese Dishes," 6 Jan. 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.