ho
1 Americaninterjection
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(used as a call to attract attention, sometimes specially used after a word denoting a destination).
Westward ho! Land ho!
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(used as an exclamation of surprise or delight.)
interjection
noun
plural
hos, hoes, ho's-
a sexually promiscuous woman.
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a prostitute; whore.
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a woman.
noun
abbreviation
abbreviation
abbreviation
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head office
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government Home Office
interjection
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Also: ho-ho. an imitation or representation of the sound of a deep laugh
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an exclamation used to attract attention, announce a destination, etc
what ho!
land ho!
westward ho!
symbol
noun
abbreviation
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
Definitions 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.