aye

[ ahy ]

/ aɪ /

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adverb

yes.

noun

an affirmative vote or voter, especially in British Parliament, corresponding to yea in U.S. Congress.

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Also ay .

Origin of aye

First recorded in 1570–80; earlier spelling I, of uncertain origin

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH aye

aye , eye, I

Words nearby aye

ayatollah, Ayckbourn, Aycliffe, Aydelotte, Aydin, aye, aye-aye, Ayer, Ayers Rock, Ayesha, A.Y.H.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use aye in a sentence

A reconstruction of the inside of an aye-aye’s head based on CT scans shows that this spindly digit probably pokes all the way through the animal’s nasal passages to reach its throat, researchers report online October 26 in the Journal of Zoology.
Bizarre aye-aye primates take nose picking to the extreme|Maria Temming|November 1, 2022|Science News
I will express my aye vote, but I think my fellow commissioners understand the next steps for us on this matter.
Politics Report: State’s Top Transpo Official Says Mileage Fee Is ‘Inevitable’|Andrew Keatts|August 20, 2022|Voice of San Diego
Think of the aye-aye, a lemur that evolved an elongated middle finger to probe deep into holes for grubs.
These weird virtual creatures evolve their bodies to solve problems|Will Douglas Heaven|October 19, 2021|MIT Technology Review
Remarkably, fossils suggest the strange aye-aye crossed to Madagascar separately from the other lemurs.
One Incredible Ocean Crossing May Have Made Human Evolution Possible|Nicholas R. Longrich|May 2, 2021|Singularity Hub

“Aye,” his father said—the last thing he would ever say to him.
Alan Cumming: The Truth About My Father|Tim Teeman|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Four Senate Republicans did vote aye on Lilly Ledbetter back in 2009.
What That RNC Aide’s Equal Pay Blunder on MSNBC Says About Her Party|Michael Tomasky|April 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Aye ready;” and arm-in-arm we raced into the dining-room, scandalizing the servants.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The vote in the Senate was 81-18, with 27 Republicans voting aye and 18 nay.
No Country for Old Moderates|Michael Tomasky|October 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Boehner and Paul Ryan voted aye, Eric Cantor and Kevin McCarthy no.
The End of the Hastert Rule|Michael Tomasky|January 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Sur le confluant des deux rivieres, y avoit la plus belle assemble des Sauvages que j'aye point encore veue.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
If you cannot bear the cigar in your mouth—aye, and enjoy it—you have no business with it: go back to your brown paper and cane!
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
My own individuality is entirely in the background; aye, I am not conscious of any personality in matters pertaining to the Cause.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist|Alexander Berkman
There is great perseverance, aye, moral courage of no mean order, in his survival in the movement.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist|Alexander Berkman
Aye,’ ses he, ‘and it makes the monied vulgarian think he is as good as those who only tolerate him.
The Whale and the Grasshopper|Seumas O'Brien

British Dictionary definitions for aye (1 of 2)

aye¹

ay

/ (aɪ) /

sentence substitute

yes: archaic or dialectal except in voting by voice

aye aye

an expression of compliance, esp used by seamen
British an expression of amused surprise, esp at encountering something that confirms one's suspicions, expectations, etc

noun

a person who votes in the affirmative
an affirmative vote

Compare nay

Word Origin for aye

C16: probably from pronoun I, expressing assent

British Dictionary definitions for aye (2 of 2)

aye²

/ (əɪ) /

adverb

Scot always; still

Word Origin for aye

Old Norse ei ever; Old English ā; compare Latin aevum an age, Greek aion aeon, aiei ever, always

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

aye

Origin of aye

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH aye

Words nearby aye

Words related to aye

How to use aye in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for aye (1 of 2)

ay

Word Origin for aye

British Dictionary definitions for aye (2 of 2)

Word Origin for aye