hey
Americaninterjection
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(used as an exclamation to call attention or to express pleasure, surprise, bewilderment, etc.)
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Informal. hello: used as a greeting.
interjection
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an expression indicating surprise, dismay, discovery, etc, or calling for another's attention
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an exclamation used for emphasis at the end of a statement, or alone to seek repetition or confirmation of another person's statement
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an exclamation used by conjurors to herald the climax of a trick
Etymology
Origin of hey
1150–1200; Middle English hei
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And it was like, hey, I’ve got to cut yards, I’ve got to do whatever I can to provide for my family.
From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026
“The meta problem is, hey, models are going outside the bounds of what they should be doing, and doing actual cyberattacks, which I would think is in the public interest to know.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
“I think he was driven to prove that hey, not only am I a player, I’m a major league player.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
That will raise taxes on higher earners — but, hey, them’s the breaks.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
If President Wilson comes to visit again, which he probably won't, tell him Ned Gillen says hey and us boys overseas could use some warm blankets and better food.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
