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 strangers are like in the middle, so hey, bro, this could be good or it could be bad, and we’re gonna tell you the truth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
But, hey, Musk got a free chainsaw out of it.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
And it was like, hey, I’ve got to cut yards, I’ve got to do whatever I can to provide for my family.
From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026
Let’s put it this way: If you had to win one match, you could pick Fed, Djokovic, Rafa, Borg, Laver, or hey, why not Pancho Gonzalez.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
“Oh, Thursday—hey, hey, hey...hey,” Kwame sings in a rumbling bass line that keeps going lower and lower and lower.
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
