oy

¹ American

[oi] / ɔɪ /

Or oi

interjection

(used to express dismay, pain, annoyance, grief, etc.)

oy ² American

[oi] / ɔɪ /

Or oe

noun

Scot.

a grandchild.
Obsolete. a nephew or niece.

Etymology

Origin of oy¹

Borrowed into English from Yiddish around 1890–95

Origin of oy²

1425–75; late Middle English (north and Scots ) o ( o ), oy ( e ) < Scots Gaelic ogha; see O'

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:

Ah, noon Singapore time, 3 p.m. for me … oy!

From New York Times ● Mar. 31, 2021

A bagel with big air holes is like a baked potato that is all skin – oy gevalt!

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 26, 2019

Yet the work we’re shown that’s meant to illustrate their genius ends up looking — oy vey — as if it should hang on a motel wall.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 11, 2017

“I could never say anything right except oy vey,” Strout said.

From The New Yorker ● Apr. 24, 2017

Ye, ye, ye, he said, and oy oy oy, and then fell asleep.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

oy