och

American

[okh] / ɒx /

interjection

Scot., Irish English.

(used as an expression of surprise, disapproval, regret, etc.)

och British

/ ɒx /

interjection

an expression of surprise, contempt, annoyance, impatience, or disagreement

"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

an expression used to preface a remark, gain time, etc

och, I suppose so

"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

Etymology

Origin of och

1520–30; < Scots Gaelic, Irish

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.

See Examples For:

och

"It hasn't been possible to identify both B och T cell receptors in their microenvironments using previous methods."

From Science Daily ● Dec. 7, 2023

Natt och Dag has spoken of his admiration for Umberto Eco’s “The Name of the Rose.”

From Washington Post ● Mar. 1, 2019

V.S. and P.P. acknowledge financial support from the Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse.

From Nature ● Mar. 28, 2017

Russian state TV channel Rossiya 1 showed clips of Biss och Kajs - a play on the Swedish words for "wee-wee" and "poo-poo".

From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2013

Och, och, och, he says, and I wonder if he’s going demented like Mrs. Molloy, in and out of the lunatic asylum, but he says, Is that what you were worried about last night?

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt

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