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ho

1 American  
[hoh] / hoʊ /

interjection

  1. (used as a call to attract attention, sometimes specially used after a word denoting a destination).

    Westward ho! Land ho!

  2. (used as an exclamation of surprise or delight.)


ho 2 American  
[hoh] / hoʊ /

interjection

  1. (used as a command to a horse to stop.)


ho 3 American  
[hoh] / hoʊ /
Or hoe

noun

Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.

plural

hos, hoes, ho's
  1. a sexually promiscuous woman.

  2. a prostitute; whore.

  3. a woman.


Ho 4 American  
Symbol, Chemistry.
  1. holmium.


HO 5 American  
[hoh] / hoʊ /

noun

  1. (in police use) habitual offender.


ho. 6 American  

abbreviation

  1. house.


H.O. 7 American  

abbreviation

  1. Head Office; Home Office.


HO 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. head office

  2. government Home Office

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

ho 2 British  
/ həʊ /

interjection

  1. Also: ho-ho.  an imitation or representation of the sound of a deep laugh

  2. an exclamation used to attract attention, announce a destination, etc

    what ho!

    land ho!

    westward ho!

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Ho 3 British  

symbol

  1. holmium

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

ho 4 British  
/ həʊ /

noun

  1. slang:Black a derogatory term for a woman

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

ho. 5 British  

abbreviation

  1. house

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does ho mean? Not to be confused with hoe (the gardening tool), a ho is an offensive term for a sex worker or a promiscuous woman. Some people use the term to insult women in general while some women have reclaimed the term.What are other forms of ho?hoe

Etymology

Origin of ho1

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English; a natural exclamation

Origin of ho2

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English ho, who, from Old French ho, and Old Norse hō; whoa

Origin of ho3

First recorded in 1965–70; dialectal or African American Vernacular English pronunciation of whore

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.

In addition, delays into February could mean the Supreme Court is viewing the matter as a “blockbuster case” on par with its consideration of the Affordable Care Act, according to Ho and Chang.

From MarketWatch

“As you get older, you can realize you have events in your life that you haven’t had time to process,” said Jennifer Ho, a clinical psychologist in Cary, N.C.

From MarketWatch

Ho rejects the “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” attitude.

From MarketWatch

Norriss runs a clothing factory outside of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, that makes millions of T-shirts and sweaters a year for celebrated streetwear brands like Stussy.

From The Wall Street Journal

Lam Thanh, 50, who manages a dormitory for workers near one of Ho Chi Minh City's estimated 1,000 courts, says the cacophony is proving to be costly.

From Barron's