pho

\ ˈfə

How to pronounce pho (audio)

, ˈfō \

Definition of pho

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

Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about pho

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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.

Examples of pho in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web From the photo, the pizza appears to be a riff on beef pho, topped with cooked slices of fatty beef, meatballs, basil and white onion slivers. — Soleil Ho, SFChronicle.com, "Pho on my pizza? It's more likely than you think," 3 Aug. 2020 But now comes the real kicker: steeped nutritional yeast, the idea for which came from the brilliant Andrea Nguyen’s vegan pho. — Sarah Jampel, Bon Appétit, "This Recipe Is Everything I Love About Chicken Soup, Minus the Meat," 20 Apr. 2020 But for Christina Nguyen, growing up, Sundays meant something else entirely: steaming bowls of pho eaten after church at a hole-in-the-wall spot in St. Paul. — Katherine Lagrave, Vogue, "Meet the Women Behind Minneapolis’s Food Revolution," 6 Aug. 2019 Known for their pho and bun noodles, as well as their bánh mì, Saigon is a favorite spot for authentic Vietnamese food. — al, "This is one of Birmingham’s best sandwiches," 27 Apr. 2020 Build your bowl of pho: Add the raw venison slices to the bed of noodles and ladle hot broth over top to cook the meat. — Cosmo Genova, Field & Stream, "How to Cook Wild Game Pho with Venison Steak," 21 Feb. 2020 Three additions to south Phoenix and Laveen include a pho restaurant, a pop-up Lao spot and a Caribbean joint. — Priscilla Totiyapungprasert, azcentral, "From Nobu to Matt's Big Breakfast: 27 restaurants that opened in metro Phoenix in January," 3 Feb. 2020 The Silver City neighborhood’s Phobruary event is back, with $5 bowls of pho on weekdays during February. — Carol Deptolla, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "It's Phobruary time in Silver City: Deals on bowls of pho, and a vote for the favorite," 2 Feb. 2020 Cilantro, a Vietnamese restaurant at 235 W McMillan St., will serve its last bowl of pho on Friday. — Polly Campbell, Cincinnati.com, "Popular Vietnamese restaurant Cilantro is closing," 29 Jan. 2020

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.

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Cite this Entry

“Pho.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pho. Accessed 21 Oct. 2020.

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