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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
Recent Examples on the Web
His pho stands out with its beefy broth, layered with smoke from the charred aromatics and fall-apart brisket.
—
Bao Ong, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Sep. 2025
This restaurant focuses on creating a high-quality broth that is rich with beef flavor, serving up a variety of pho dishes with different cuts of meat.
—Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
Bostonians like to have DoorDash, Grub Hub, Uber Eats and others deliver meals from their favorite restaurants with just the click of an app, but all those drivers with bags of steaming burgers and pho add up.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
At breakfast, expect Okinawan-style waffles with sweet red beans, Vietnamese pho, and delicate local tofu.
—Kaila Yu, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
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Bao Ong, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Sep. 2025
This restaurant focuses on creating a high-quality broth that is rich with beef flavor, serving up a variety of pho dishes with different cuts of meat.
—Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
Bostonians like to have DoorDash, Grub Hub, Uber Eats and others deliver meals from their favorite restaurants with just the click of an app, but all those drivers with bags of steaming burgers and pho add up.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
At breakfast, expect Okinawan-style waffles with sweet red beans, Vietnamese pho, and delicate local tofu.
—Kaila Yu, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pho
Cite this Entry
“Pho.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pho. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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