ho

¹

[ hoh ]

interjection

1. (used as a call to attract attention, sometimes specially used after a word denoting a destination):

   Westward ho! Land ho!

2. (used as an exclamation of surprise or delight.)

ho

²

[ hoh ]

interjection

1. (used as a command to a horse to stop.)

ho

³

or hoe

[ hoh ]

noun

, Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.

, plural hos, hoes, ho's.

1. a sexually promiscuous woman.
2. a prostitute; whore.
3. a woman.

Ho

⁴

Symbol, Chemistry.

1. holmium.

HO

⁵

[ hoh ]

noun

1. (in police use) habitual offender.

ho.

⁶

abbreviation for

1. house.

H.O.

⁷

abbreviation for

1. Head Office; Home Office.

ho

¹

/ həʊ /

noun

1. slang:Black.
   a derogatory term for a woman

ho

²

/ həʊ /

interjection

1. Alsoho-ho an imitation or representation of the sound of a deep laugh
2. an exclamation used to attract attention, announce a destination, etc

   westward ho!

   what ho!

   land ho!

HO

³

abbreviation for

1. head office
2. government Home Office

Ho

⁴

the chemical symbol for

1. holmium

ho.

⁵

abbreviation for

1. house

Word History and Origins

Origin of ho¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English; a natural exclamation

Origin of ho²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English ho, who, from Old French ho, and Old Norse hō; whoa

Origin of ho³

First recorded in 1965–70; dialectal or African American Vernacular English pronunciation of whore

Word History and Origins

Origin of ho¹

C20: from Black or Southern US pronunciation of whore

Origin of ho²

C13: of imitative origin; compare Old Norse hó, Old French ho! halt!

Example Sentences

There was Carol White, a ho-hum homemaker who finds herself besieged by multiple chemical sensitivity in Safe.

From The Daily Beast

Lily Allen explained away the poor sales and ho-hum critical reception to Sheezus by…basically blaming other people.

From The Daily Beast

Ho, 42, admitted that he had never stepped out of sight of the government minders but he insisted that was by choice.

From The Daily Beast

All 130 employees share a similar vision and all seem very gung ho about their racy products.

From The Daily Beast

Even after the subpoenas started flying, he remained gung-ho on entitlement reform.

From The Daily Beast

The door banged shut behind him and I heard him at the foot of the stairs roaring "Ho-ho-there-ho!"

From Project Gutenberg

The men did “hold on” most powerfully; they did more, they hauled upon the rope, hand over hand, to a “Yo-heave-ho!”

From Project Gutenberg

The sailors who had been lounging about the deck sprang up and looked eagerly across the waves, as the cheerful "Sail-ho!"

From Project Gutenberg

Then Crozier called with a great, cheery voice—what Mona used to call his tally-ho voice.

From Project Gutenberg

And p. 48 epeid per ho ts lichanou topos eis apeirous temnetai tomas.

From Project Gutenberg

About This Word

What does ho mean?

Not to be confused with hoe (the gardening tool), a ho is an offensive term for a sex worker or a promiscuous woman. Some people use the term to insult women in general while some women have reclaimed the term.

What are other forms of ho?

hoe

Where does ho come from?

The slang ho comes from a pronunciation of whore in African American Vernacular English, which can drop word-final Rs. It’s been recorded as a term for a “prostitute” since the 1950s.

In the 1960s, ho became vulgar slang for any “woman.” In the 1970s, ho added a verb form, “to prostitute oneself.” It expanded to include sexually promiscuous men in the 1980s. Come the 1990s, ho was also insulting men seen as cowardly and effeminate. As is true of many disparaging slang terms, ho was reclaimed among some speakers as a term of address in the 2000s.

In the 2000s, an unrelated ho emerged as a slang abbreviation for half-ounce, referring to a half-ounce of drugs, typically marijuana.

How is ho used in real life?

Ho is a very insulting term for a sex worker or woman (compare bitch or slut). However, like those latter two words, some women may use ho in a reappropriated, affectionate way among friends (e.g., What’s up, ho?). Here, ho might even imply a sort of sassy, sexy personality and empowered womanhood.

@56kMarc happy birthday ho

— thareal_DDawg🔌🏚 (@gang_broskiDee) September 9, 2018

While ho can deride men, it’s most often used of women. When insulting men, it may be seen as more cute or playful. In hip-hop, ho is sometimes used as a generic term for a woman (e.g., bitches and hoes). We don’t recommend you go around calling just any woman a ho, however.

I'M SO GLAD EVERYONE KNEW WHAT AN EMOTIONAL HO I AM!!

— Aimee…af 🔪❤ (@AimNicRob) September 9, 2018

More examples of ho:

“You’re going to see Cardi B in a whole new light…She’s doing crazy sketches, like she has this thing called ‘Ho Etiquette’ where she does this character where she tells how do women to handle their inner ho and how to do a relationship.”

—Rip Michaels quoted by Kristin McNamara and Leah Bitsky, Page Six, August 2018