O. Henry

American

[oh hen-ree] / oʊ ˈhɛn ri /

noun

pen name of William Sydney Porter.

O. Henry British

/ əʊ ˈhɛnrɪ /

noun

pen name of William Sidney Porter. 1862–1910, US short-story writer. His collections of stories, characterized by his use of caricature and surprising endings, include Cabbages and Kings (1904) and The Four Million (1906)

"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

Henry, O. Cultural

A twentieth-century American author known for “The Gift of the Magi” and other short stories. He specialized in surprise endings. His real name was William Sydney Porter.

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.

American writer O. Henry, hiding in Honduras to avoid embezzlement charges back home, coined the term for such places: “banana republic External link.”

From Barron's • Jan. 18, 2026

Short story writers like O. Henry dazzled readers with their deft finales.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 6, 2024

Like O. Henry, Brown regularly employed surprise endings throughout his work.

From Washington Post • Apr. 13, 2022

He has also earned numerous awards including the PEN America’s Lifetime Achievement Award, a Grammy, and an O. Henry Award.

From Salon • Nov. 7, 2019

But it ends with a twist worthy of O. Henry.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023