dear me

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 dear God or oh God, which also continue to be so used. [Late 1600s]

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RELATED WORDS

dear, woe, gee, oh, lord, golly, gosh, well, gesundheit, phew

Nearby words

deanna, deanthropomorphism, dear, dear john, dear john letter, dear me, dearborn, dearborn heights, dearborn, fort, dearborn, henry, dearest

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.