hey
Americaninterjection
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(used as an exclamation to call attention or to express pleasure, surprise, bewilderment, etc.)
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Informal. hello: used as a greeting.
interjection
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an expression indicating surprise, dismay, discovery, etc, or calling for another's attention
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an exclamation used for emphasis at the end of a statement, or alone to seek repetition or confirmation of another person's statement
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an exclamation used by conjurors to herald the climax of a trick
Etymology
Origin of hey
1150–1200; Middle English hei
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.
“I think he was driven to prove that hey, not only am I a player, I’m a major league player.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
The feeling, King said, was that "hey, you could be next. This is in Jackson. This is in your backyard".
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
That will raise taxes on higher earners — but, hey, them’s the breaks.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
But hey, defending a toddler is a good start.
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2026
“Oh, hey, you're the artist,” Jamie says with blissful innocence.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
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.
