dah

American

[dah] / dɑ /

noun

an echoic word, the referent of which is a tone interval approximately three times the length of the dot, used to designate the dash of Morse code, International Morse code, etc.

dah British

/ dɑː /

noun

the long sound used in combination with the short sound dit, in the spoken representation of Morse and other telegraphic codes Compare dash 1

"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

Etymology

Origin of dah

First recorded in 1935–40

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.

“I went on this long, rambly monologue about ‘these types of characters in this type of place and dah, dah, dah,’ and Greg’s like, ‘Human connection in impossible places.’

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 5, 2025

Bhad Bhabie is another young overnight internet star who went viral for her infamous phrase "cash me ousside, how bout dah."

From Salon • Aug. 18, 2023

Get in through security signing, dah, dah, dah.

From The Verge • Jun. 8, 2021

“A weh yuh get dah new Clarks deh daadi?”

From New York Times • Mar. 10, 2016

Dit dit dit; dah dah dah; dit dit dit was the one they would use only in case of emergency.

From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023