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

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

From New York Times • Jan. 4, 2023

Lap 52/67:Vettel made an error heading into the Saxe Turn, going too wide, and found himself unable to correct - there wasn’t the room - so into the barrier he went, and oh dear me!

From The Guardian • Jul. 22, 2018

"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, they are not pigeons at all—” she began to scold.

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood