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• O. Henry
  O. Henry

  noun

  pen name of William Sydney Porter.
• Henry, O.
  Henry, O.

  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.

O. Henry

American  

[oh hen-ree] / oʊ ˈhɛn ri /

noun

1. pen name of William Sydney Porter.

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O. Henry British  

/ əʊ ˈhɛnrɪ /

noun

1. 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)

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Henry, O. Cultural  

1. 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.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

O. Henry Henry, O.

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

She won acclaim for her poems and short stories such as “Big Blonde,” which won her the O. Henry Award for the best story of 1929.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 15, 2020

Through coincidences more in line with an O. Henry story than “The Grapes of Wrath,” the cat and his palate will leave everyone satisfied.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 30, 2019

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

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario

During Black History Month at West Point, honor is paid to Henry O. Flipper, a formerly enslaved man who became the academy’s first Black graduate in 1877.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 2, 2021

President Bill Clinton pardoned Henry O. Flipper, the first African-American officer to lead the Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry Regiment during the Civil War; he was framed for embezzlement.

From Washington Times ● Feb. 8, 2018

Not long after, he presented Vice President Pence with a bust at the Henry O. Flipper Dinner, which is held annually in memory of West Point’s first African American graduate.

From Washington Post ● May 26, 2017

In her book, Ms. Milhaupt notes that Frank Lloyd Wright and the sugar tycoon Henry O. Havemeyer also became influential fans of kimonos and related textiles and prints.

From New York Times ● Sep. 18, 2014

Lieutenant Henry O. Flipper of the United States Army is spending a few days here with his father's family, he has been on the streets very little, spending most of his time at home.

From The Colored Cadet at West Point Autobiography of Lieut. Henry Ossian Flipper, first graduate of color from the U. S. Military Academy by Henry Ossian Flipper