ciao
Americaninterjection
Explanation
When you greet a friend informally, you can use the word ciao. You might call out, "Ciao!"and wave as your brother steps off the train at the station. While ciao, pronounced "chow," is a casual Italian salutation that can mean both "hello" and "goodbye," most English speakers understand it as well. You can say, "Ciao, Grandma!" when your favorite grandparent comes to visit, or wave goodbye to a departing neighbor and yell, "Ciao!" The word is a shortened version of the formal Italian schiavo, "your obedient servant," or literally, "I am your slave."
Vocabulary lists containing ciao
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.
Mourinho, the self-proclaimed 'Special One', entered the Drake Suite quietly, greeting the diverse international media - three times larger than the group that welcomed Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca - with a simple "Ciao".
From BBC • Sep. 29, 2025
Representing the gold standard of leather artisanship and contemporary design, its new SS25 Ciao Ciao bag is no exception.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2025
And there is red sauce, made with Ciao brand Italian tomatoes.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 15, 2024
“What really makes vacations are the experiential things you do together as a family,” says Amie O’Shaughnessy, chief executive of Ciao Bambino, a family-focused travel agency.
From Washington Post • Feb. 16, 2022
"Ciao," said I, as he dashed jauntily down the steps.
From Sea and Sardinia by Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)
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.
