Dictionary.com

how

1
[ hou ]
/ haʊ /
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See synonyms for: how / hows on Thesaurus.com

adverb
conjunction
noun
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Idioms about how

Origin of how

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English hou, ou, hu, Old English hū; cognate with Old Frisian hū, ho, Dutch hoe; akin to Old High German hweo, German wie, Gothic hwaiwa

Other definitions for how (2 of 2)

how2
[ hou ]
/ haʊ /

interjection Facetious: Often Offensive.
(used as a greeting in imitation of American Indian speech.)

Origin of how

2
First recorded in 1810–20; of uncertain origin

usage note for how

See firewater.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use how in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for how (1 of 2)

how1
/ (haʊ) /

adverb
noun
the way a thing is donethe how of it

Word Origin for how

Old English hu; related to Old Frisian hū, Old High German hweo

British Dictionary definitions for how (2 of 2)

how2
/ (haʊ) /

sentence substitute
a greeting supposed to be or have been used by American Indians and often used humorously

Word Origin for how

C19: of Siouan origin; related to Dakota háo
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

Other Idioms and Phrases with how

how

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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