ahoy

[ uh-hoi ]

/ əˈhɔɪ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ahoy ON THESAURUS.COM

interjection Nautical.

(used as a call to hail another ship, attract attention, etc.)

Nearby words

ahnfelt's seaweed, ahold, aholt, ahom, ahorse, ahoy, ahq, ahra, ahriman, ahsa, ahtisaari

Origin of ahoy

1745–55; variant of hoy². Cf. aha, ahem

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ahoy

When the boat came alongside the ship, the crimp shouted: "Ahoy, Mr. Mate, I have a good sailor for you."
The Flying Bo'sun|Arthur Mason
But there was no reply, and he tugged away till he was nearer, and then gave vent to a cheery “Ahoy!”
To Win or to Die|George Manville Fenn
As for Grandfather Harling, after the stranger's first visit he strained his ears for a second, and when with a cheery "Ahoy!"
Carl and the Cotton Gin|Sara Ware Bassett
Another calls out the name of their particular log-mark: "Blaze Belt, ahoy!"
Forest Life and Forest Trees: comprising winter camp-life among the loggers, and wild-wood adventure.|John S. Springer

Peter Gross stepped into the shelter of a cocoanut-palm and shouted the Malay for "Ahoy."
The Argus Pheasant|John Charles Beecham

British Dictionary definitions for ahoy

ahoy

/ (əˈhɔɪ) /

interjection

nautical a hail used to call a ship or to attract attention

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ahoy

ahoy

1751, from a + hoy, a nautical call used in hauling. The original form of the greeting seems to have been ho, the ship ahoy!

ahoy

interjection Nautical.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of ahoy

Examples from the Web for ahoy

British Dictionary definitions for ahoy

ahoy

interjection

Word Origin and History for ahoy

ahoy