o'

[ uh, oh ]

preposition

a shortened form of of, as in o'clock or will-o'-the-wisp.
Chiefly Dialect. a shortened form of on.

Origin of o'

From Middle English; by shortening

Words Nearby o'

Other definitions for O (2 of 15)

O¹

or o

[ oh ]

noun,plural O's or Os; o's or os or oes.

the fifteenth letter of the English alphabet, a vowel.
any spoken sound represented by the letter O or o, as in box, note, short, or love.

something having the shape of an O.
a written or printed representation of the letter O or o.
a device, as a printer's type, for reproducing the letter O or o.

Other definitions for O (3 of 15)

O²

[ oh ]

interjection

(used before a name in direct address, especially in solemn or poetic language, to lend earnestness to an appeal): Hear, O Israel!
(used as an expression of surprise, pain, annoyance, longing, gladness, etc.)

noun,plural O's.

the exclamation “O.”

Origin of O

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin ō

Words that may be confused with O

O , oh, owe

Other definitions for O (4 of 15)

O³

abbreviation

Grammar. object (def. 7).
Old.

Other definitions for O (5 of 15)

O⁴

Symbol.

the fifteenth in order or in a series.
the Arabic cipher; zero.

(sometimes lowercase) the medieval Roman numeral for 11.: Compare Roman numerals.
Physiology. a major blood group, usually enabling a person whose blood is of this type to donate blood to persons of group O, A, B, or AB and to receive blood from persons of group O.: Compare ABO system.
Chemistry. oxygen.
Logic. particular negative.

Other definitions for O' (6 of 15)

a prefix meaning “descendant,” in Irish family names: O'Brien; O'Connor.

Origin of O'

⁶

Representing Irish ó descendant, Old Irish au

Other definitions for o- (7 of 15)

o-¹

Chemistry.

an abridgment of ortho-.

Other definitions for o- (8 of 15)

o-²

variant of ob- before m:omission.

Other definitions for o- (9 of 15)

o-³

variant of oo-: oidium.

Other definitions for -o- (10 of 15)

-o-

the typical ending of the first element of compounds of Greek origin (as -i- is, in compounds of Latin origin), used regularly in forming new compounds with elements of Greek origin and often used in English as a connective irrespective of etymology: Franco-Italian; geography; seriocomic; speedometer.

Origin of -o-

¹⁰

Middle English (<Old French ) <Latin <Greek

Compare -i-.

Other definitions for -o (11 of 15)

-o

a suffix occurring as the final element in informal shortenings of nouns (ammo; combo; condo; limo; promo); -o also forms nouns, usually derogatory, for persons or things exemplifying or associated with that specified by the base noun or adjective (cheapo; pinko; sicko; weirdo; wino).
a suffix occurring in colloquial noun or adjective derivatives, usually grammatically isolated, as in address: cheerio; kiddo; neato; righto.

Origin of -o

¹¹

Perhaps originally the interjection O, appended to words as in def. 2; as a derivational suffix reinforced by clipped forms of words with -o- as a linking element (e.g., photo, stereo), by Rom nouns ending in o, and by personal nouns such as bimbo and bozo, of obscure origin

Other definitions for o. (12 of 15)

o.¹

abbreviation

pint.

Origin of o.

¹²

From the Latin word octārius

Other definitions for o. (13 of 15)

o.²

abbreviation

octavo.
off.

old.
only.
order.
Baseball. out; outs.

Other definitions for O. (14 of 15)

O.¹

abbreviation

(in prescriptions) a pint.

Origin of O.

¹⁴

From the Latin word octārius

Other definitions for O. (15 of 15)

O.²

abbreviation

Ocean.
octavo.

October.
Ohio.
Old.
Ontario.
Oregon.

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

How to use o' in a sentence

“O holy Saint Florian, protect this house but burn down the others!”
How the Earth-shaking theory of plate tectonics was born | Carolyn Gramling | January 13, 2021 | Science News
What follows is a 30-minute stemwinder that starts with “O Little Town of Bethlehem” and veers to a treatise on the horse trading between President Lyndon Johnson and Republican Minority Leader Everett Dirksen over the Civil Rights Act.
Raphael Warnock’s campaign for the moral high ground | Clyde McGrady | January 2, 2021 | Washington Post
Worse, Mertens has Type O blood, the hardest to match, said Annie Doyle, living-donor coordinator at M Health Fairview.
A third-grade teacher in Minnesota donated a kidney to her school’s custodian | Kyle Melnick | December 2, 2020 | Washington Post
And so the “Glo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ria” in this number earns it a spot on my list.
Yes, I Like Christmas Music. Stop Laughing. | Michael Tomasky | December 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
He came at David O. Selznick's urging, and together they made Rebecca, Spellbound, and The Paradine Case.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days | David Freeman | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

It was Tarshis who gave the comedian the memorable epithet “Jell-O Man.”
I Warned You About Bill Cosby in 2007 | Mark Ebner | November 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
That hers could be a scene in a David O. Russell film brings it to the next level.
[NSFW] Fox News Anchor Tragically Mispronounces "Huckabee" | Jack Holmes, The Daily Beast Video | November 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Born in Connecticut in 1847, he had a long railroad career before coming to the B O in 1896.
The Stacks: H.L. Mencken on the 1904 Baltimore Fire | H.L. Mencken | October 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Sleek finds it far harder work than fortune-making; but he pursues his Will-o'-the-Wisp with untiring energy.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James Wills
O death, how bitter is the remembrance of thee to a man that hath peace in his possessions!
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | Various
D'o l'on peut aussy veoir, quelle esperance il y a de planter une belle chrestient par tels evangelistes.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614 | Various
That they may know thee, as we also have known thee, that there is no God beside thee, O Lord.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | Various
O wicked presumption, whence camest thou to cover the earth with thy malice, and deceitfulness?
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | Various

British Dictionary definitions for o (1 of 8)

O

/ (əʊ) /

nounplural o's, O's or Os

the 15th letter and fourth vowel of the modern English alphabet
any of several speech sounds represented by this letter, in English as in code, pot, cow, move, or form

another name for nought

British Dictionary definitions for o' (2 of 8)

/ (ə) /

preposition

informal, or archaic shortened form of of a cup o' tea

British Dictionary definitions for O (3 of 8)

O¹

symbol for

chem oxygen
a human blood type of the ABO group: See universal donor

logic a particular negative categorial proposition, such as some men are not married: often symbolized as SoP: Compare A, E, I 2

abbreviation for

Australian slang offence

Origin of O

(for sense 3) from Latin (neg) o I deny

British Dictionary definitions for O (4 of 8)

O²

/ (əʊ) /

interjection

a variant spelling of oh
an exclamation introducing an invocation, entreaty, wish, etc: O God!; O for the wings of a dove!

British Dictionary definitions for O'- (5 of 8)

O'-

prefix

(in surnames of Irish Gaelic origin) descendant of: O'Corrigan

Origin of O'-

⁵

from Irish Gaelic ó, ua descendant

British Dictionary definitions for o- (6 of 8)

prefix

short for ortho- (def. 4)

British Dictionary definitions for -o- (7 of 8)

-o-

connective vowel

used to connect elements in a compound word: chromosome; filmography Compare -i-

Origin of -o-

⁷

from Greek, stem vowel of many nouns and adjectives in combination

British Dictionary definitions for -o (8 of 8)

-o

suffix

forming informal and slang variants and abbreviations, esp of nouns: wino; lie doggo; Jacko

Origin of -o

⁸

probably special use of oh

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

Scientific definitions for O

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