aloha
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of aloha
Borrowed into English from Hawaiian around 1890–95
Explanation
Aloha is a Hawaiian word with many meanings, ranging from love, peace, and compassion to pity and grief. It's commonly used, especially by visitors to Hawaii, to mean "hello" and "goodbye." While tourists may think of aloha as an authentic way to say, "Hi there!" or "See ya!," this word much more complicated to native Hawaiians. Aloha can be a way to add strong emotion to a greeting or to express heartbreak. It's a culturally and spiritually meaningful word that's shared by all Polynesian languages.
Vocabulary lists containing aloha
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.
Mainlanders have long shopped for vacation staples at the chain’s tropical warehouses, where the aloha shirts and macadamia nuts had them dreaming of what treasures lay abroad.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026
Now, more than 17 years later, with two beautiful boys and our pandemic dog in tow, I can say I found my own aloha right here in the vibrant chaos of Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2025
People in Hawaii display the shaka to say hi and bye as well as thanks and aloha.
From Seattle Times • May 3, 2024
The shaka carries friendliness and warmth — aloha spirit.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 13, 2024
“G’day, Clara, aloha kakahiaka,” he says as I take my seat.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
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.
