pho
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of pho
Perhaps from French (pot-au-)feu pot-au-feu
Explanation
Pho is a delicious Vietnamese noodle soup. In Vietnam, it's common to eat a bowl of pho for breakfast. Traditionally, pho is made with beef broth and rice noodles, and topped with slices of beef and herbs. There are also chicken, tofu, and vegetable versions of this iconic Vietnamese soup, all of them warm and aromatic. Pho was invented in the early 1900s in the northern part of Vietnam, with a name most likely influenced by French colonizers — the Vietnamese phở probably derives from feu, or "fire."
Vocabulary lists containing pho
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 makes pho from scratch, and it’s better than any restaurant you could find.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
My son loves Vietnamese spring rolls and my daughter loves pho.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
I live on a stretch of Vietnamese restaurants — pho, noodles, bún bò huế — punctuated by a killer arepa spot and a shawarma stand.
From Salon • Mar. 25, 2026
There’s a pho place, a ramen place and Iroha Sushi, my favorite sushi in the city.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 11, 2025
"Pho, pho," cried Monckton, coolly, "why he heard it himself the whole time! and so shall all our party by and bye, if I can but remember to mention it."
From Cecilia; Or, Memoirs of an Heiress — Volume 2 by Burney, Fanny
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.
