hi
interjection
(used as an exclamation of greeting) hello!
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hi
1 American
[hahy]
/ haɪ /
interjection
hi
2
American
[hahy]
/ haɪ /
adjective
HI
3
American
H.I.
4
American
HI
1
British
abbreviation
-
Hawaii (state)
-
Hawaiian Islands
hi
2
British
/ haɪ /
hi
3
British
/ haɪ /
interjection
Etymology
Origin of hi
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English hy, perhaps variant of hei hey
Explanation
Hi is a common greeting, more casual than "hello." When you walk down the street in a small town, it might seem like everyone you pass says "hi." The word hi is a good, nearly all-purpose greeting — it's appropriate in all but the most formal circumstances, so you might want to skip saying, "Hi" to the Queen when you meet her. When you greet someone, you have a lot of words to choose from, including "hey," "hello," "hiya," and "howdy," but hi is probably the most common. The first mention of hi attributes it to a Kansas native American in the 1800s.
Vocabulary lists containing hi
Scrabble: Two-Letter Words
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Spelling Practice 1, Unit 3
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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:
She did an interview with the Cutting Room Floor about fashion shows and how people don’t say hi each other, and there’s nothing wrong with saying hi to each other.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
“When you’re out on a run or a walk or a bike ride, do you say hi to people that pass? If you don’t, I’m not so sure about you,” he joked.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 20, 2026
Ovitz, the former superagent, says he’ll always stop to say hi, but: “We all know: Don’t hang out.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026
In an email from 2012, Epstein wrote to a publicist, apparently from the Cannes Film Festival, that he was "sitting next to Brett Ratner", adding: "Brett says hi and he loves you!"
From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2026
She doesn’t stop and say hi, even though she slowed a bit as if she was going to come in and watch TV.
From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King
AFP witnessed some pushing and shoving between front-row protesters and officers trying to keep the surging crowd away from Jakarta's central Bundaran HI public square, surrounded by businesses and embassies.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
AFP saw pushing and shoving between front-row protesters and officers trying to keep the surging crowd away from Jakarta's central Bundaran HI public square, which is surrounded by businesses and embassies.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
As the flow of gas from the cosmic web becomes weaker and gas densities decrease, galaxies may become less efficient at converting HI into molecular hydrogen.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026
At HI NYC, the company’s top-booked hostel, occupancy has surpassed 2019 levels.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 29, 2023
The cheering men danced and marched down Broadway, HI tossing their hats into the air and shouting across the river at the silent ships of England.
From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson
The ship appears to have crewed anti-aircraft weapons on its bow and stern, according to H.I.
From Seattle Times ● May 26, 2022
My mind went to “Raising Arizona”: The first 11 minutes of that movie is this amazing narrated montage that tells you everything you know about H.I.
From New York Times ● Nov. 30, 2020
It sponsors many of the local monthly music events: First Fridays at the Oregon VFW, the Lanark jam the second week at Cherry Grove Church, Fridays at the H.I.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 5, 2016
But when he followed up, in 1987, with two of his most memorable characters in two of his best films -- as the rooster-haired babynapper H.I.
From Salon ● Apr. 18, 2011
H.I. himself took heaps of tickets, but the house was half empty.
From The Story of My Life Recollections and Reflections by Ellen Terry
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
