hey

American  

[hey] / heɪ /

interjection

1. (used as an exclamation to call attention or to express pleasure, surprise, bewilderment, etc.)

2. Informal. hello: used as a greeting.

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hey British  

/ heɪ /

interjection

1. an expression indicating surprise, dismay, discovery, etc, or calling for another's attention

2. an exclamation used for emphasis at the end of a statement, or alone to seek repetition or confirmation of another person's statement

3. an exclamation used by conjurors to herald the climax of a trick

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Etymology

Origin of hey

1150–1200; Middle English hei

Example Sentences

“Teachers would call my mom, and they’d be like, ‘Hey, your son’s making like, cow noises again’ or something,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

“Everyone feels very empowered to raise their hands and say, ‘Hey, how can we fold this in?’”

From The Wall Street Journal

The service might be minimal sometimes, but, hey, the food is good and cheap.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Hey," the girl said, "I really like him!"

From Literature

"All here. Hey, Sam, I have an idea. Let's dump out all the trucks, and then we'll put the big empty box on its side, to make a garage—down the hall, in your room—and then we can drive the trucks down to their garage, one by one."

From Literature

Related Words

• cry
• exclamation
• expletive
• insertion
• interpolation
• interposition
• shout