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
American
[oh-oo]
/ ˈoʊˈu /
Or
'o'u
noun
OU
1
British
abbreviation
-
the Open University
-
Oxford University
ou
2
British
/ əʊ /
noun
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:
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:
“Ki moun ou ye” keeps doing this — paring back before pressing forward with fresh urgency — while maintaining an easygoing vibe.
From New York Times ● Feb. 29, 2024
In the meantime, ou might even find it more empowering to treat yourself to something nice instead of waiting for the perfect gift from your partner.
From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2023
In 2016 she fashioned a Portuguese-Spanish remix of Balvin’s 2015 hit “Ginza,” then joined Maluma on “Sim ou Não,” a balmy pop mélange that helped initiate her in the coveted Hispanic market.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2022
Mas enquanto isso, Genaro, que trabalha na Divisão de Sistemas Espaciais do instituto há 20 anos, diz: “Tudo o que temos são ideias soltas no papel, sem nenhum orçamento ou equipe para executá-las”.
From Science Magazine ● May 26, 2022
The work was titled Le Monde, ou Traité de la Lumière, and it was on the verge of being published when news of Galileo’s trial and conviction for heresy reached Holland.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
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
Led by Jizhong Zhou, director of the Institute for Environmental Genomics at OU, this research focused on community assembly, which is about dynamic and complex processes that shape the composition and structure of microbial communities.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 18, 2024
MAIS, OU There’s no excuse for mangling words that come from foreign languages.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
Definitions 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.
