hello
Americaninterjection
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(used to express a greeting, answer a telephone, or attract attention.)
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(an exclamation of surprise, wonder, elation, etc.)
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(used derisively to question the comprehension, intelligence, or common sense of the person being addressed).
You're gonna go out with him? Hello!
noun
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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an expression of greeting used on meeting a person or at the start of a telephone call
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a call used to attract attention
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an expression of surprise
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an expression used to indicate that the speaker thinks his or her listener is naive or slow to realize something
Hello? Have you been on Mars for the past two weeks or something?
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of hello
First recorded in 1865–70; variant of hallo
Explanation
Hello! Hi! How are you doing? Hello is a salutation or greeting commonly used to begin conversations or telephone calls. Hello has been used as an English greeting since the 19th century. Most agree that it is related to the older French exclamation “Holà” — which means essentially “Ho there!” — like you might say to a horse to tell it to stop. Nowadays it’s still used to get someone’s attention but instead of stopping you’re starting something — usually a chat. Hallo and Hullo are variations of Hello used by British English speakers.
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.
See Examples For:
Or perhaps someone already rostered — hello, 22-year-old, skyscraping Adou Thiero — is waiting to wow us all in that role?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
He looked out at Otsego Lake while several Hall of Famers stopped to say hello.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
"The queen came to say hello to us -- and I was wearing this dirty thing," said Margarita.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
The bubbly 28-year-old sits on the porch of a bungalow at the temple complex and says hello to the other women, who start trickling into the room.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
A stranger in a threadbare coat, and he doesn’t say hello or ask a question.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
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Reyes said a few elderly people at the home would occasionally sit outside and exchange brief hellos with her from time to time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026
The government said it had increased the amount dentists get for NHS work and provided £20,000 golden hellos to get dentists to work in areas with the poorest access.
From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2026
The group greeted Reba with awkward hugs and stilted hellos.
From Salon ● Mar. 5, 2025
“At 15, it’s all hellos and later on there’s a lot more hard goodbyes,” he said.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 7, 2023
I wish time would hurry and there’d be sailboats tying up at the landing and tour buses passing through, and I’d already have the first hellos traded with Somebody Peterson, the girl next door.
From "Rules" by Cynthia Lord
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NBC performers did their bits from Hollywood, the Secretary of the Navy and the Under Secretary of War spoke from Washington, NBC's newsmen in London, Manhattan and Buenos Aires helloed and jested by short wave.
From Time Magazine Archive
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None of them helloed, and none of them returned my smile, and the colonel did not shake hands with me.
From How Private George W. Peck Put Down The Rebellion or, The Funny Experiences of a Raw Recruit - 1887 by Peck, George W. (George Wilbur)
At the edge of town where the houses became scattered and the road started to drop away into a deep valley some one helloed behind him.
From Windy McPherson's Son by Anderson, Sherwood
Hare reined in at the door and helloed.
From Heritage of the Desert by Grey, Zane
The bugler changed his notes and we knew he was wondering if we were coming, so Mr. Stewart helloed.
From Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Stewart, Elinore Pruitt
Illinois' Freshman Senator Chuck Percy was busily huddling and helloing.
From Time Magazine Archive
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“I’ve no patience for all that helloing and chitchat about diapers! The baby’s on his way and there’s no time to waste. Incorrigibles, come!”
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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Then one day, I’m helloing and next thing I know, I’m saying hello to Matt and Lance.
From "The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle" by Leslie Connor
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"It's a shame to spoil it," replied David, "but I am afraid your Elf's Horn and Jean's helloing were just a coincidence."
From Grace Harlowe's Junior Year at High School Or, Fast Friends in the Sororities by Flower, Jessie Graham [pseud.]
After helloing for her without result, he climbed to the road.
From The Valley of the Moon by London, Jack
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.