oh
[oh]
- (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?
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- the exclamation “oh.”
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- to utter or exclaim “oh.”
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Origin of oh
later spelling of O, from mid-16th century
Oh
[oh]
- Sa·da·ha·ru [sah-duh-hahr-oo] /ˌsɑ dəˈhɑr u/, born 1940, Chinese baseball player and manager in Japan.
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OH
- Ohio (approved especially for use with zip code).
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
dearwoegeeohnoexclamationwowamenhelloalasboohurrahahemwhoopeehoorayshucksersorryuh-ohouchExamples from the Web for oh
Contemporary Examples
As the protagonist gets herself off in front of her impotent husband, she moans “Oh, Gronky.”
I just recently rewatched all six Star Wars movies the other day… Oh wow, from the beginning?
And Ollie says, ‘Oh, I see, well, let me have two double vodka martinis.’
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 MoreMarlow 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.
Historical Examples
Oh, I was an Indian in my time—a reg'ler measly hop-pickin' Siwash at that.
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
"Oh, I see," said the younger Milbrey—his face clearing all at once.
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
"Oh, blessed be the sound of your voice," replied the peasant.
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
And oh, sir,” added Stephen, “may we crave a drop of water for our dog?
The Armourer's PrenticesCharlotte M. Yonge
Oh, if a man only could live up to the verses he cuts out of magazines!
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
oh
- an exclamation expressive of surprise, pain, pleasure, etc
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- an expression used to preface a remark, gain time, etcoh, I suppose so
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OH
- Ohio
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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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper