dear me

Idioms  

1. Also, oh dear. A polite exclamation expressing surprise, distress, sympathy, etc. For example, Dear me, I forgot to mail it, or Oh dear, what a bad time you've been having. These usages may originally have invoked God, as in, which also continue to be so used. [Late 1600s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dear me

At first, she said, she thought: “‘Oh, no, dear me, I am a literary author.

From New York Times ● Jan. 4, 2023

"But if it worked badly, like Credit Suisse, then, dear me, nothing can be allowed to be paid out."

From Reuters ● Apr. 13, 2017

Oh, that’s what it is — oh, dear me.

From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2015

“Oh, dear me, how unspeakably funny and owlishly idiotic and grotesque was that “plagiarism” farce!” he wrote to Keller of the scandal.

From Forbes ● Jul. 8, 2015

‘Don’t leave me here alone! It’s your Sam calling. Don’t go where I can’t follow! Wake up, Mr. Frodo! O wake up, Frodo, me dear, me dear. Wake up!’

From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien