hi

[ hahy ]

/ haɪ /

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interjection

(used as an exclamation of greeting); hello!

QUIZ

ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ

There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!

Question 1 of 7

True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of hi

1425–75; late Middle English hy, perhaps variant of heihey

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH hi

hi , hie, high

Other definitions for hi (2 of 4)

hi²

[ hahy ]

/ haɪ /

adjective

an informal, simplified spelling of high: hi fidelity.

Other definitions for hi (3 of 4)

abbreviation

Hawaii (approved especially for use with zip code).

Meteorology. heat index. Also H.I.

Other definitions for hi (4 of 4)

H.I.

abbreviation

Hawaiian Islands.

Meteorology. heat index. Also HI

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hi in a sentence

I remember H. Jon Benjamin told me it was a way-too-late apology for Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In a 2009 interview, Church apostle Dallin H. Oaks held that the Church “does not have a position” on that point.
Your Husband Is Definitely Gay: TLC’s Painful Portrait of Mormonism|Samantha Allen|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Or fast-fashion chains like Zara and H&M churning out runway imitations.
The Big Business of Fashion Counterfeits|Lizzie Crocker|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mahoney helped author the I-STOP legislation based on data his office collected in regard to fraud.
No More Paper Prescriptions: Docs Fight Fraud by Going Electronic|Dale Eisinger|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It seems that Mr. H. is expecting not only me, he's expecting Thom Mount, the head of production at the studio.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
G was a gamester, who had but ill-luck; H was a Hunter, who hunted a buck.
Boys and Girls Bookshelf; a Practical Plan of Character Building, Volume I (of 17)|Various
James I. sent forth his famous "Counterblast" and in the strongest manner condemned its use.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
Clinical study of the blood may be discussed under the following heads: I. Hemoglobin.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
The reader wishes to infallibly remember that the date of the beheading of Charles I. was 1649.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
The valve-seat H has formed on its lower surface two crescent shaped long and narrow slits.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller

British Dictionary definitions for hi (1 of 3)

hi¹

/ (haɪ) /

sentence substitute

an informal word for hello

Word Origin for hi

C20: originally US, from hiya

British Dictionary definitions for hi (2 of 3)

hi²

/ (haɪ) /

interjection

an expression used to attract attention

Word Origin for hi

C15 hy; compare hey

British Dictionary definitions for hi (3 of 3)

abbreviation for

Hawaii (state)

Hawaiian Islands

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

hi

Origin of hi

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH hi

Other definitions for hi (2 of 4)

Other definitions for hi (3 of 4)

Other definitions for hi (4 of 4)

Words related to hi

How to use hi in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hi (1 of 3)

Word Origin for hi

British Dictionary definitions for hi (2 of 3)

Word Origin for hi

British Dictionary definitions for hi (3 of 3)