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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

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

I feel like “Christmas Eve” has a slight O. Henry, “Gift of the Magi” element to it — another literary reference that hopefully the kids who watch “Frog and Toad” will read someday.

From Salon • Dec. 21, 2023

He says the story was inspired by “The Gift of the Magi,” the O. Henry short story about a young poor couple.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 1, 2021

I first realized there was more to O. Henry than surprise endings when, a few years ago, I picked up a Penguin edition of the writer’s selected stories edited by Guy Davenport.

From Washington Post • Sep. 7, 2021

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

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario