oh

[oh]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR oh ON THESAURUS.COM

interjection

(used as an expression of surprise, pain, disapprobation, etc.)

(used in direct address to attract the attention of the person spoken to): Oh, John, will you take these books?

noun, plural oh's, ohs.

the exclamation “oh.”

verb (used without object)

to utter or exclaim “oh.”

Origin of oh

later spelling of O, from mid-16th century

Can be confusedO oh owe

Oh

[oh]

noun

Sa·da·ha·ru [sah-duh-hahr-oo] /ˌsɑ dəˈhɑr u/, born 1940, Chinese baseball player and manager in Japan.

OH

Ohio (approved especially for use with zip code).

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for oh

dear, woe, gee, oh, no, exclamation, wow, amen, hello, alas, boo, hurrah, ahem, whoopee, hooray, shucks, er, sorry, uh-oh, ouch

Examples from the Web for oh

Contemporary Examples of oh

As the protagonist gets herself off in front of her impotent husband, she moans “Oh, Gronky.”
‘A Gronking to Remember’ Speed Read: 8 Naughtiest Bits
Emily Shire
January 7, 2015
I just recently rewatched all six Star Wars movies the other day… Oh wow, from the beginning?
Patton Oswalt on Fighting Conservatives With Satire
William O’Connor
January 6, 2015
And Ollie says, ‘Oh, I see, well, let me have two double vodka martinis.’
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile
Robert Ward
January 3, 2015
Oh, and the first press image they released was a pair of black dudes in tracksuits as a troll of sorts to NME.
The 14 Best Songs of 2014: Bobby Shmurda, Future Islands, Drake, and More
Marlow Stern
December 31, 2014
Yet it was on their second record “Oh No” that the band fully realized success comes from so much more than good music.
OK Go Is Helping Redefine the Music Video For the Internet Age
Lauren Schwartzberg
December 15, 2014

Historical Examples of oh

"Oh, blessed be the sound of your voice," replied the peasant.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
Oh, I was an Indian in my time—a reg'ler measly hop-pickin' Siwash at that.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
"Oh, I see," said the younger Milbrey—his face clearing all at once.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
And oh, sir,” added Stephen, “may we crave a drop of water for our dog?
The Armourer's Prentices
Charlotte M. Yonge
Oh, if a man only could live up to the verses he cuts out of magazines!
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson

British Dictionary definitions for oh

oh

interjection

an exclamation expressive of surprise, pain, pleasure, etc

sentence connector

an expression used to preface a remark, gain time, etcoh, I suppose so

OH

abbreviation for

Ohio

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

Word Origin and History for oh

1530s, interjection expressing various emotions, a common Indo-European word (e.g. Old French ô;, oh; Latin o, oh; Greek o; Old Church Slavonic and Lithuanian o; Gothic, Dutch, German o; Old Irish a; Sanskrit a), but not found in Old English, which translated Latin oh with la or eala.

The present tendency is to restrict oh to places where it has a certain independence, & prefer o where it is proclitic or leans forward upon what follows .... [Fowler]

Often extended for emphasis, e.g. Oh, baby, stock saying from c.1918; oh, boy (1910); oh, yeah (1924). Reduplicated form oh-oh as an expression of alarm or dismay is attested from 1944. Oh-so "so very" (often sarcastic or ironic) is from 1922. Oh yeah? "really? Is that so?" attested from 1930.