hi
interjection
(used as an exclamation of greeting) hello!
Jump To:
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:
The other day we went out to a restaurant, and we all went back to the kitchen in the back, just to say hi and thank you to the staff who work there.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Just walking down the street in Boston wearing any type of Scotland merchandise will result in people waving, saying hi or shouting "good luck Scotland".
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
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
“Say hi to everyone for me,” I said.
From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt
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
Police detained six activists who had draped Greenpeace protest banners from a monument on Jakarta's central Bundaran HI roundabout on Tuesday morning, before the student marches, according to Jeanny Sirait, a campaigner for the NGO.
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026
HI plays a central role in this puzzle.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026
The HI Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel in Pescadero, California, for example, features on-site tide pools and private family rooms.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 29, 2023
Viserys had told her that the last Targaryen dragons had died no more than a century and a half ago, during the reign of Aegon HI, who was called the Dragonbane.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
The ship appears to have crewed anti-aircraft weapons on its bow and stern, according to H.I.
From Seattle Times ● May 26, 2022
“At first, my work was difficult because many people did not want to believe that Ebola was real,” Sheku Kamara, an H.I. volunteer, said in a statement.
From Washington Times ● May 22, 2018
If Ray is the hapless Jerry Lundegaard type — or the H.I.
From New York Times ● May 17, 2017
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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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.
