O
noun
the fifteenth letter of the English alphabet, a vowel.
Jump To:
-
O
-
o'
-
O'
O'a prefix meaning “descendant,” in Irish family names.
-
o-
o-an abridgment of ortho-.
-
-o
-oa suffix occurring as the final element in informal shortenings of nouns (ammo; combo; condo; limo; promo ); -o also forms nouns, usually derogatory, for persons or things exemplifying or associated with that specified by the base noun or adjective (cheapo; pinko; sicko; weirdo; wino ).
-
o.
o.abbreviationpint.
-
-o-
-o-the typical ending of the first element of compounds of Greek origin (as -i- is, in compounds of Latin origin), used regularly in forming new compounds with elements of Greek origin and often used in English as a connective irrespective of etymology.
-
O.
O.abbreviation(in prescriptions) a pint.
-
o
onounthe 15th letter and fourth vowel of the modern English alphabet
-
O'-
O'-prefix(in surnames of Irish Gaelic origin) descendant of
O
1 American
[oh]
/ oʊ /
Or
o
noun
-
O's,
plural
-
Os,
plural
-
o's,
plural
-
os,
plural
-
oes
plural
-
the fifteenth letter of the English alphabet, a vowel.
-
any spoken sound represented by the letter O or o, as in box, note, short, or love .
-
something having the shape of an O .
-
a written or printed representation of the letter O or o.
-
a device, as a printer's type, for reproducing the letter O or o.
O
2
American
[oh]
/ oʊ /
interjection
-
(used before a name in direct address, especially in solemn or poetic language, to lend earnestness to an appeal).
Hear, O Israel!
-
(used as an expression of surprise, pain, annoyance, longing, gladness, etc.)
noun
-
O's
plural
O
3
American
O
4
American
Symbol.
-
the fifteenth in order or in a series.
-
the Arabic cipher; zero.
-
(sometimes lowercase) the medieval Roman numeral for 11.
-
Physiology. a major blood group, usually enabling a person whose blood is of this type to donate blood to persons of group O, A, B, or AB and to receive blood from persons of group O.
-
Chemistry. oxygen.
-
Logic. particular negative.
o'
5
American
[uh, oh]
/ ə, oʊ /
O'
6
American
o-
7
American
Chemistry.
o-
8
American
o-
9
American
-o
10
American
-
a suffix occurring as the final element in informal shortenings of nouns (ammo; combo; condo; limo; promo ); -o also forms nouns, usually derogatory, for persons or things exemplifying or associated with that specified by the base noun or adjective (cheapo; pinko; sicko; weirdo; wino ).
-
a suffix occurring in colloquial noun or adjective derivatives, usually grammatically isolated, as in address.
cheerio; kiddo; neato; righto.
o.
11
American
abbreviation
o.
12
American
abbreviation
-
octavo.
-
off.
-
old.
-
only.
-
order.
-
Baseball. out; outs.
-o-
13
American
O.
14
American
abbreviation
O.
15
American
abbreviation
-
Ocean.
-
octavo.
-
October.
-
Ohio.
-
Old.
-
Ontario.
-
Oregon.
O
1
British
symbol
-
chem oxygen
-
a human blood type of the ABO group See universal donor
-
logic a particular negative categorial proposition, such as some men are not married: often symbolized as SoP Compare A E I 2
abbreviation
o
2
British
/ əʊ /
noun
-
the 15th letter and fourth vowel of the modern English alphabet
-
any of several speech sounds represented by this letter, in English as in code, pot, cow, move, or form
-
another name for nought
O
3
British
/ əʊ /
interjection
-
a variant spelling of oh
-
an exclamation introducing an invocation, entreaty, wish, etc
O God!
O for the wings of a dove!
O'-
4
British
prefix
-o
5
British
suffix
-o-
6
British
o-
7
British
prefix
o'
8
British
/ ə /
preposition
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of O2
First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin ō
Origin of o'5
From Middle English; by shortening
Origin of O'6
Representing Irish ó descendant, Old Irish au
Origin of -o10
Perhaps originally the interjection O, appended to words as in -o def. 2; as a derivational suffix reinforced by clipped forms of words with -o- as a linking element (e.g., photo, stereo ), by Rom nouns ending in o, and by personal nouns such as bimbo and bozo, of obscure origin
Origin of o.11
From the Latin word octārius
Origin of -o-13
Middle English (< Old French ) < Latin < Greek
Origin of O.14
From the Latin word octārius
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.
See Examples For:
The MAL story also illustrates how much complexity is hidden behind the familiar letters A, B, AB and O.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
The fest will feature a star-studded, all-women lineup including Rodrigo, Chappell Roan, Mitski, Doechii and special guests Karen O, Sarah McLachlan and Stevie Nicks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Up until the Big O, I’ve lived by that rule.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
The prosecution argued that Baby O was born in good condition and was stable for 48 hours before he suddenly collapsed.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
“Political work is interesting to me, and it has to be done. It’s O for the P on an international scale.”
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
“But also look at a Prince album like ‘Sign o’ the Times,’ which is a masterpiece, but some of Prince’s best ideas on that album are mistakes.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
The third, on “I’m Doun for Lack o’ Johnnie,” is the emotional focal point of the Fantasy, a lament both intimate and universal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Barabak: Becerra right away lays down the man o’ the people card, noting his parents came to California with just $12 and prospered.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Hobro said they were often mistaken for Portuguese man o' war but were much smaller, "brighter blue" and "generally harmless".
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
“School gov’nors have bin told, o’ course,” said Hagrid miserably.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
Former basketball player Shaquille O’ Neal is also a high-profile investor.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 19, 2025
Girls summer camp Heart O’ the Hills is just a mile north of Camp Mystic.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2025
But Heart O’ the Hills confirmed that its camp director, Jane Ragsdale, is one of the flood’s victims .
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2025
Sir Ringo can be heard narrating in the new footage alongside a slightly different bespoke musical arrangement by longtime series composer Mike O' Donnell.
From BBC ● May 9, 2025
After a single trip to the supermarket, the refrigerator and the cupboards fill with familiar labels: Skippy, Hood, Bumble Bee, Land O’ Lakes.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
At week's end a Russian delegation got the signatures of the leaders of Kazakhstan on a similar agreement-to-try-t o- agree.
From Time Magazine Archive
It is hence possible to employ crude cresol, which contains varying quantities of the o-, m-, and p-compounds, in the manufacture of these tanning matters.
From Synthetic Tannins by Georg Grasser
Similarly, condensation of different samples of crude cresol containing varying quantities of o-, m-, and p-cresol did not yield end-products sufficiently different to justify describing them in detail.
From Synthetic Tannins by Georg Grasser
Of the three isomeric xylenes o- and m-xylene dissolve in concentrated, p-xylene in fuming sulphuric acid only.
From Synthetic Tannins by Georg Grasser
They all stare at one another, and so go off, crying O, o, o, o- to the Emperor's Pallace.
From The Life and Death of Doctor Faustus Made into a Farce by William Mountfort
Usually words ending in "-o" are masculine and those ending in "-a" are feminine, but there are many common words that break those gender rules, like "la mano," the word for "hand."
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2022
I don't think the "-e" should eliminate the existing "-o" and the "-a."
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2022
The -o suffix traces back to old comic strip characters with names like Knocko and Groucho.
From Slate ● Mar. 31, 2020
Knocko, Peddlo, Henpecko, and the rest became so popular that the -o suffix soon spread to words up and down the English language.
From Slate ● Mar. 31, 2020
I knew perfectly well why, but I didn’t know how -o put it.
From "Boy: Tales of a Childhood" by Roald Dahl
The Illumina-based genome assemblies for P. o. curtisi, P. o. wallikeri, and P. malariae-like were performed using MaSURCA30 for samples PocGH01, PowCR01, and PmlGA01 respectively.
From Nature ● Jan. 24, 2017
The P. o. wallikeri and the P. o. curtisi chromosomes were aligned against each other, as were the P. malariae and P. malariae-like chromosomes.
From Nature ● Jan. 24, 2017
Reality is that you are giving up your family time by doing the o. t. when they need you at work.
From Time ● May 3, 2013
“If you dey come give am ticket to leave this here country, I will disappear o. I will not even stop home for pick my bag.”
From Washington Post
Then she added, “Sorry o. I did not mean that your boyfriend is a criminal. I was just asking.”
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Thus masc. -o- stems show palatal modification, e.g. corn, “horn,” plur. cyrn < *kornī; the plural ending of -u- stems, O. Gaulish -oves, gives O.W. -ou, Mid.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 5 "Cat" to "Celt" by Various
District Judge David O. Carter ruled that the administration’s allegations were “not credible” and that the intervention it sought would violate a host of federal laws.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
District Judge David O. Carter issued a preliminary injunction, calling HUD’s action arbitrary and capricious.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
Thankfully, Curry did not allow any eerie rumors to deter him from securing the home, which was originally built in 1922, having been designed by acclaimed architect Stiles O. Clements.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
The elegantly presented “An Exquisite Eye: Introducing the Aso O. Tavitian Collection,” at the Clark, offers a preview with 150 works by artists from different countries, deploying different mediums, united by consistent excellence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
But in my head “okay” looked like this: O. K. Those letters stood for Outrageous Katastrophe, and I know it’s the wrong spelling, but it was the best I could do at that particular moment.
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
Shane Graham, chief executive of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Rārua, a Māori authority, said the return was a momentous occasion.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
Allow me to sing, o Muse, of a recent dinner conversation about “The Odyssey.”
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026
My eyes watered as the camera panned over his arm-in-arm players as they shouted the line, “Think, o beloved homeland! That heaven/gave you a soldier in each son.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
Mr. Brownlee’s tenor proved rock-solid in Arturo’s demanding music, from his exquisitely relaxed, almost languid opening aria, “A te, o cara,” to some punishing high Fs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026
What I remembered was just the games, which, once I was awake, I couldn’t find, and the elf gloves, and the bow, and the lizard that was all mine. o o o .
From "Feed" by M.T. Anderson
Barely a week after tying the knot with Taylor Swift in July, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was back at work inside Johnny O’s Gymnasium in Florida.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
While some winning coaches were making their names with toughness that bordered on abuse, he urged Close to see her teams as human beings first, not X’s and O’s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
Both senior managers were subsequently disciplined by Google for witnessing Mr O's conduct and failing to intervene, before later being made redundant.
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026
Carson Palmer’s coaching staff, filled with former NFL players like himself, have shown they can teach, lead and handle X’s and O’s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 23, 2025
Long minutes passed, then de la O’s radio crackled with static: it was the radio operator reporting back, hysterical.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
In 1988, he founded Luaka Bop, a record label whose influential compilations have introduced American audiences to lesser-known classics of world pop and psychedelia, such as Brazil’s Os Mutantes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
"The Dutch experience in my opinion offers a warning for Canada," Os cautioned.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
Os had plenty of examples of powerful pop divas to draw inspiration from.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2026
Last year, Os also pulled a page from Taylor Swift’s playbook by releasing the concert film “Kenia Os: La OG” in theaters in both the U.S. and Mexico.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2026
Some Os and Qs and Cs long and narrow.
From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia
They eventually named their institute for an online trend that had slime enthusiasts replacing the vowels in their name with double o’s, so Kira would become “Kooroo” and slime becomes “Sloomoo.”
From Washington Post ● Jun. 30, 2022
Like other Romance languages, Spanish divides most endings of nouns into masculine o’s or feminine a’s.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 12, 2021
Twitter’s closed captioning wrote it out twice, with each ¡Gol! featuring 27 o’s.
From Slate ● Jun. 17, 2018
Texting and Millennials The phone holds a million x’s and o’s.
From Forbes ● Jun. 5, 2013
The Cranes Conquer America was written at the top in Emily’s eight-year-old scrawl, back when she was into putting smiley faces inside her e’s, o’s, and o’s.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
Dreyfus pleased his friends no better than his :oes: he irked them by not becoming a "Dreyfusard."
From Time Magazine Archive
And from the shadow one by one Pick up the playful oes of sun?
From The Poetical Works of Robert Bridges by Robert Bridges
I was taking a lesson in Welsh pronunciation some time ago, and uttered the phrase "yn oes oesodd"—from ages to ages.
From Far Off Things by Arthur Machen
Nad oes wedd na moes, masw ynyd yw’n gwlad, Nad oes mad eithr gwad a gwyd.
From Some Specimens of the Poetry of the Ancient Welsh Bards by Evan Evans
The colors that show best by candle-light are white, carnation, and a kind of sea-water-green; and oes, or spangs, as they are of no great cost, so they are of most glory.
From The Essays of Francis Bacon by Francis Bacon
A new Longevity Preparedness Index from John Hancock and MIT AgeLab os based on a survey of over 1,300 adults and focused on eight areas such as finance, home, health and community.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 12, 2025
She first broke through with 2016’s “Remonta,” an album she recorded with her former band Liniker e os Caramelows.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2025
Ambos os programas são “fundamentais para entender a expansão agrícola no Brasil e as emissões de carbono do desmatamento na Amazônia,” diz Douglas Morton, especialista em sensoriamento remoto do Goddard Space Flight Center da NASA.
From Science Magazine ● May 26, 2022
Hours later, Kelly posts bail and os released from jail in Chicago.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 18, 2021
The os in his calculations were only intermediaries, crutches that vanished miraculously by the end of the computation.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
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.
