oy vey

American  

[oi vey] / ˈɔɪ ˈveɪ /

interjection

Yiddish.

1. (used to express distress, exasperation, upset, alarm, etc., sometimes minor).

   Just had another session with my mom, planning my wedding—oy vey, she’s taking over!

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Etymology

Origin of oy vey

First recorded in 1910–15; from Yiddish oy vey “oh woe,” from oy oy ¹ ( def. ) + vey “woe”; woe ( def. )

Example Sentences

From a makeshift Twister game set up in the hotel’s foyer, a tumbling child let out a loud “Oy vey!”

From New York Times

Mari Varsányi, a member of a Jewish social justice activist group, Oy Vey Acts, said the museum may have provided too many justifications for failures to resist persecution, deportations and murder.

From New York Times

“Camp Siegfried,” which opened on Tuesday at Second Stage Theater, in a thoughtful production directed by David Cromer, is an oy vey kind of play.

From New York Times

“That’s what I call ‘Oy Vey Chutzpah,’ ” says Harris.

From Washington Post

“Oy vey,” he said when informed that Blake Masters in battleground state Arizona had just expressed his support.

From Washington Post