olé
1 Americaninterjection
noun
combining form
-
denoting an organic unsaturated compound containing a 5-membered ring
thiazole
-
denoting an aromatic organic ether
anisole
interjection
noun
suffix
abbreviation
Usage
What does olé mean? Olé is an exclamation of approval, encouragement, or victory. The unrelated word ole, without the accent mark over the e, is simply a version of the word old meant to imitate how it is sometimes pronounced.Olé, pronounced [ oh-LAY ], comes from Spanish and is often associated with its use during Spanish or Latin American events or activities, such as when it’s shouted by spectators during bullfights or certain dances. More recently, it has become a popular chant by fans at soccer (football) games, especially to mark a team’s victory.Ole (pronounced like old without the d) is colloquial, meaning it’s typically used in informal conversation. It’s especially used to intensify the meaning of another adjective that it’s paired with, as in Look at that big ole truck. It’s sometimes spelled ol’.Example: When I visited Spain, I finally got to see people chanting, "Olé!" in a big ole arena, just like in the movies!
Etymology
Origin of olé1
First recorded in 1910–15; from Spanish ole, olé, from Arabic wa-llāh “and Allah,” from wa “and” + allāh “God, Allah”
Origin of -ole3
From French, from Latin -olus, -ola, -olum, variant of -ulus -ule with stems ending in a vowel
Origin of -ole4
< French < Latin oleum oil
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.
"She's always been very good on Greenland," said University of Copenhagen political science professor Ole Waever.
From Barron's
Beijing has over the years taken advantage of lower crude prices and the abundance of supply from Gulf states to build one of the world's biggest oil reserves, Ole Hansen, Saxo Bank's head of commodity strategy, told the BBC last week.
From BBC
“Perhaps we’re beginning to see the beginning of the end,” Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank, told Barron’s.
From Barron's
“Gold has emerged as one of the more exposed assets, with the sell-off driven by long liquidation, stop-loss selling, and investors raising liquidity,” said Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank.
From Barron's
“Rising inflation expectations have pushed yields higher, reducing the appeal of non-yielding assets,” including gold, Saxo Bank’s Ole Hansen said in an email.
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.