uh-oh

[uh-oh]

interjection

1. (used to indicate concern or chagrin at a mildly unfortunate event.)

When To Use

What does uh-oh mean?

Uh-oh is an expression used to indicate mild alarm or concern in response to something negative, such as a mistake. It’s typically said right when you realize something is wrong or something bad has happened.It’s sometimes spelled uh oh, without the hyphen. Uh-oh is an interjection, meaning it’s a term used to express emotion, often outside of a sentence.Uh-oh is usually only used in response to situations that are mildly bad or unfortunate, like minor mistakes or setbacks—you wouldn’t say uh-oh in response to a tragedy or something very serious.Uh-oh can also be used in a very informal way as a noun meaning a mistake or something that’s cause for concern, as in That part was an uh-oh, but I thought it looked good so I kept it as it was. This can sound childish (much like calling a mistake a boo-boo) and is often used to be humorous.Example: Uh-oh—looks like I forgot to mail that letter.