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• hi
  hi

  interjection

  (used as an exclamation of greeting) hello!
• HI
  HI

  abbreviation

  Hawaii (approved especially for use with zip code).
• H.I.
  H.I.

  abbreviation

  Hawaiian Islands.

hi

¹ American  

[hahy] / haɪ /

interjection

1. (used as an exclamation of greeting) hello!

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hi ² American  

[hahy] / haɪ /

adjective

1. an informal, simplified spelling of high.

   hi fidelity.

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HI ³ American  

abbreviation

1. Hawaii (approved especially for use with zip code).

2. Meteorology. heat index. Also H.I.

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H.I. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. Hawaiian Islands.

2. Meteorology. heat index. Also HI

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HI ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. Hawaii (state)

2. Hawaiian Islands

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hi ² British  

/ haɪ /

1. an informal word for hello

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hi ³ British  

/ haɪ /

interjection

1. an expression used to attract attention

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Etymology

Origin of hi

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English hy, perhaps variant of hei hey

Explanation

Hi is a common greeting, more casual than "hello." When you walk down the street in a small town, it might seem like everyone you pass says "hi." The word hi is a good, nearly all-purpose greeting — it's appropriate in all but the most formal circumstances, so you might want to skip saying, "Hi" to the Queen when you meet her. When you greet someone, you have a lot of words to choose from, including "hey," "hello," "hiya," and "howdy," but hi is probably the most common. The first mention of hi attributes it to a Kansas native American in the 1800s.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hi HI H.I.

He wanted his “famous sister” to say hi to his disbelieving client.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

“When you’re out on a run or a walk or a bike ride, do you say hi to people that pass? If you don’t, I’m not so sure about you,” he joked.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 20, 2026

“Oh hi baby,” she captioned a set of baby-bump-baring photos shared to Instagram in November.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026

In an email from 2012, Epstein wrote to a publicist, apparently from the Cannes Film Festival, that he was "sitting next to Brett Ratner", adding: "Brett says hi and he loves you!"

From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2026

There’s this exciting hope of possibility filling me up, like when Hudson and I started texting for the first time, like when Arthur said hi and we flirted and talked about the universe.

From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

However, at the HI San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf Hostel, you can find a bed in a shared room for less than $30 or a private room for less than $100 on some nights.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 29, 2023

At HI NYC, the company’s top-booked hostel, occupancy has surpassed 2019 levels.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 29, 2023

"The recovery in China-bound exports is being delayed due to slower normalisation of its economy" after the COVID-19 pandemic, said economist Park Sang-hyun at HI Investment Securities.

From Reuters ● Aug. 30, 2023

He was a "scholarly, lonesome, handsome man of few words, who remained a bachelor," wrote the Indian bacteriologist HI Jhala.

From BBC ● Dec. 10, 2020

The cheering men danced and marched down Broadway, HI tossing their hats into the air and shouting across the river at the silent ships of England.

From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson

The ship appears to have crewed anti-aircraft weapons on its bow and stern, according to H.I.

From Seattle Times ● May 26, 2022

If Ray is the hapless Jerry Lundegaard type — or the H.I.

From New York Times ● May 17, 2017

It sponsors many of the local monthly music events: First Fridays at the Oregon VFW, the Lanark jam the second week at Cherry Grove Church, Fridays at the H.I.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 5, 2016

But when he followed up, in 1987, with two of his most memorable characters in two of his best films -- as the rooster-haired babynapper H.I.

From Salon ● Apr. 18, 2011

Last year or the year before the H.I.

From Lady John Russell by

Related Words

• hello
• nod
• ovation
• reception
• salute