oh
interjection
(used as an expression of surprise, pain, disapproval, etc.).
oh
1 American
[oh]
/ oʊ /
interjection
-
(used as an expression of surprise, pain, disapproval, etc.).
Oh, just look at how pretty it is now that you've finished painting!
Oh, no! I misplaced my keys again.
-
(used in direct address to attract the attention of the person spoken to).
Oh, John, will you take these books?
noun
-
oh's,
plural
-
ohs
plural
verb (used without object)
Oh
2
American
[oh]
/ oʊ /
noun
OH
3
American
abbreviation
-
Ohio (approved especially for use with zip code).
-
(used in digital communications) other half.
-
(used in digital communications) overheard.
oh
1
British
/ əʊ /
interjection
OH
2
British
abbreviation
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of oh
First recorded in 1530–40; later spelling of O 2 ( def. )
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:
“They have these long skirts. And when they run they stick their tail in the air and when they jump — oh, my gosh — they can easily jump a four-foot fence,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
For those very delights — oh, and the art too, yeah, sure — are why many people still want to go, a desire that watching “The Man Will Burn” will only strengthen.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
"When I first came here, I used to find it a bit overwhelming - like oh my goodness, all this stuff," said Freestone.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
She added: “Maybe you think, oh, she’s not going to serve that well. I think what’s tough on this surface is if she does serve well, she serves big and she serves really good.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Pretending he was just, oh, maybe trying to see if Mr. Reardon’s laptop was a Mac or a PC, he glanced toward Mr. Reardon’s desk.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
“I was like, Oh, my gosh, that’s so pretty; and then I was like, Wait, that’s mine,” says the retired lawyer, who adds that she didn’t have privacy concerns because Trujillo’s posts never identified her.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Germany's Allianz Arena also poked fun at the mistake, writing on Instagram: "Oh wow, we didn't have that on our bingo card!"
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
University professor Oh Ji-hye for years walked past the village without going inside, opting instead for AI readings during her commute.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
Wyle: Oh, I don’t let anybody visit this.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
“What? Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!” said Handsome.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
"When we detect water -- or even its faint ultraviolet echo, OH -- from an interstellar comet, we're reading a note from another planetary system," said Dennis Bodewits, professor of physics at Auburn.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 11, 2026
Defending champions Arsenal secured a seeded play-off spot, alongside debutants Manchester United, with a 3-0 victory over OH Leuven on Wednesday.
From BBC ● Dec. 17, 2025
The 18-team table is led by three-time winners Barcelona, who swept aside Belgian European debutants OH Leuven 3-0.
From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2025
“I’ve seen the doc and listened to the podcasts and OH MY GOD.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2024
Nancy swallowed and said, "Three words: OH MY GOSH!"
From "Scream for Ice Cream: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #2" by Carolyn Keene
The oh’s and ah’s from my sisters were wonderful to hear.
From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls
It was not spoken freely in words, merely in gestures and little ejaculatory "ah's," "oh's," and "too bad's"; but it was soothing to Dic, and sweet Miss Tousy gained a lifelong friend.
From A Forest Hearth: A Romance of Indiana in the Thirties by Charles Major
Bond gave vent to all the "oh's" and "ah's" that indicate the perfect visitor.
From Under the Skylights by Henry Blake Fuller
The oh’s and ah’s and exclamations of approval, resultant of fairy cocktails, rewarded Beatrice for her expenditure.
From The Gorgeous Girl by Nalbro Bartley
Presently here were the merry burden-bearers behind their radiant guide, whispered ah's and oh's and wary laughter abounding.
From Kincaid's Battery by Alonzo Kimball
There were repeated "oohs," "ahhs," "ohs" and other vocalizings that reminded us just how remarkable an instrument the pliant Plant voice remains, even as he approaches turning 70 in August.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2018
Ocean says he spent weeks working on just the vocal tone of the four "ohs" that open the track.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 14, 2012
She shouts her way through bits and sings along to the tune, voice soaring into the almost screamed oh oh ohs.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 12, 2011
Her multitracked vocals appear first, in a waft of elfin ahs and ohs, before she starts a syncopated bass line, digging hard into a groove.
From New York Times ● Aug. 15, 2010
Her accent wasn’t perfect, a little too long on the ohs and too tight in the back of the throat, but it was really quite good.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
