Jump to:

• ho
  ho

  interjection

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

  holmium.
• HO
  HO

  noun

  (in police use) habitual offender.
• ho.
  ho.

  abbreviation

  house.
• H.O.
  H.O.

  abbreviation

  Head Office; Home Office.

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.

hos, plural hoes, plural ho's plural

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

---

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!

---

Ho ³ British  

symbol

1. holmium

---

ho ⁴ British  

/ həʊ /

noun

1. slang:Black a derogatory term for a woman

---

ho. ⁵ British  

abbreviation

1. house

---

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; see also whoa

Origin of ho³

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

Example Sentences

Naegohyang are playing in the Champions League for the first time, having beaten Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam 3-0 in the quarter final.

From BBC • May 4, 2026

For a factory owner in Penang or Ho Chi Minh City, this could mean ripping up decades-old supplier relationships—or losing access to the American market.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

William Blair analyst Jonathan Ho told MarketWatch that Okta’s products have been gaining traction recently, as the agentic AI boom requires new identity products for which the company fills a niche.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026

And here we are making Korean history by having them shoot that breakfast scene and, while I’m in the middle of shooting that scene, director Bong Joon Ho surprises us on set.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

In July 1945, toward the end of World War II, American soldiers parachuted into North Vietnam with orders to find and to help Ho Chi Minh.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin