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• ou
  ou

  noun

  a rare Hawaiian honeycreeper, Psittirostra psittacea, having an olive-green body, a parrotlike bill, and in the male a bright yellow head.
• OU
  OU

  abbreviation

  the Open University

ou

American  

[oh-oo] / ˈoʊˈu /

Or 'o'u

noun

1. a rare Hawaiian honeycreeper, Psittirostra psittacea, having an olive-green body, a parrotlike bill, and in the male a bright yellow head.

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OU ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. the Open University

2. Oxford University

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ou ² British  

/ əʊ /

noun

1. slang a man, bloke, or chap

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Etymology

Origin of ou

First recorded in 1885–90; from Hawaiian ʿōʿū

Compare meaning

How does ou compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• ou vs. uh

Example Sentences

His campus involvement started as a photographer at the student media outlet, the OU Daily.

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026

OU has not publicly commented beyond acknowledging the grade appeal process.

From Salon • Nov. 30, 2025

Years ago, Harroz was OU general counsel and often stood in for the president at meetings of the Big 12 Conference.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

Development of the structured clinical interview was led by Mollie Rischard, Ph.D., a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at the OU School of Community Medicine.

From Science Daily • May 22, 2024

MAIS, OU There’s no excuse for mangling words that come from foreign languages.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner