Oates

American  

[ohts] / oʊts /

noun

1. Joyce Carol, born 1938, U.S. novelist and short-story writer.

2. Titus, 1649–1705, English conspirator and Anglican priest: instigator of the Popish Plot scare.

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Oates British  

/ əʊts /

noun

1. Captain Lawrence Edward Grace . 1880–1912, English explorer. He died on Scott's second Antarctic expedition

2. Titus. (ˈtaɪtəs). 1649–1705, English conspirator. He fabricated the Popish Plot (1678), a supposed Catholic conspiracy to kill Charles II, burn London, and massacre Protestants. His perjury caused the execution of many innocent Catholics

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Example Sentences

John Oates, known as Harry, was jogging along a public footpath in Cumbria when he came into contact with a low-hanging live cable.

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026

Martin and Joyce Carol Oates “quarantine” themselves so other voices don’t creep into their work, as was the case with McCarthy and J.D.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2026

“I think I’m gonna do another Hall and Oates song,” he says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

Sharing screenshots of the tweet—presumably to avoid JCO’s wrath—various Tesla investors ran interference and accused Oates of “dehumanizing” their king, to his vocal gratitude.

From Slate • Nov. 13, 2025

She teased him because it was all so pretty and melodic, and "in the same phylum as Hall and Oates," and he threatened to evict her from his room.

From "Eleanor & Park" by Rainbow Rowell