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• yo
  yo

  interjection

  (used as an exclamation to get someone's attention, express excitement, greet someone, etc.)
• y.o.
  y.o.

  abbreviation

  year old; years old.

yo

¹ American  

[yoh] / yoʊ /

interjection

1. (used as an exclamation to get someone's attention, express excitement, greet someone, etc.)

2. here; present: used especially in answer to a roll call.

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y.o. ² American  

abbreviation

1. year old; years old.

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yo British  

/ jəʊ /

1. an expression used as a greeting, to attract someone's attention, etc

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Usage

What is a basic definition of yo? Yo is an interjection that is used for getting someone’s attention, greeting someone, or expressing strong feelings. Yo is also used to mean “here” or “present,” as in response to a roll call. Yo is a very flexible interjection that is used similarly to hey. The specific meaning of yo depends on the context it is used in. Yo is most often used informally and wouldn’t be used in formal writing that isn’t quotes or dialogue.

• Real-life examples: You might greet a pal with a friendly “Yo!” Or you might try to get the attention of a distracted driver with an angry “Yo!”
• Used in a sentence: Yo, Teddy! How is it going? 

Yo is also used to mean “here” or “present,” especially in response to someone calling your name.

• Real-life examples: It might be too casual to say yo when your teacher reads your name during roll call, but your basketball coach probably won’t mind. And when someone asks who in a group wants pizza, you can definitely raise your hand and say “Yo!” to mean that you do.

Etymology

Origin of yo

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425

Example Sentences

"On my 30th birthday I saw them coming out of Yo! Sushi with their manager," the One Direction fan said.

From BBC • Oct. 17, 2024

Yes, I'm a longtime fan; I was raised to be a preteen Wu fiend, recording their videos on "Yo! MTV Raps" so that I could watch them over and over on demand.

From Salon • Sep. 19, 2019

“May I be the 325th to say: Yo! Bumrah the show!”

From The Guardian • Aug. 18, 2018

Sound engineer and producer Mario Caldato Jr. recalled both Basquiat and "Yo! MTV Raps" host and graffiti artist Fab 5 Freddy crashing at Dike's place whenever in town.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2018

“Hey! Yo! Why are you following Fisher Man around all the time?”

From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor