pho

noun

ˈfə How to pronounce pho (audio)
ˈfō
: a soup made of beef or chicken broth and rice noodles

Did you know?

Pho, which first appeared in print in English in 1935, was borrowed from a Vietnamese word which was spelled phở. English speakers replaced the vowel with "o" but preserved the pronunciation as "fuh," rather than "foh." Another Vietnamese food word that was borrowed into English is nuoc mam, which refers to a type of fish sauce that is fermented in brine. In that case as well, the original Vietnamese word had accent marks that were lost on the journey into English. Nuoc mam was recorded in English just a few years before pho arrived.

Examples of pho in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Take, for example, pho, a noodle soup usually consisting of either beef or chicken broth that is simmered for hours before being served piping hot with a heaping plate of crunchy leafy greens and various aromatic herbs. Christina Liao, Vogue, 27 Dec. 2024 Dig in: Lang Van offers 11 varieties of its popular beef broth pho ($13.95), not including its specials. Axios Charlotte Team, Axios, 19 July 2024 Lilia eats her pho and then, as evening settles over Little Saigon, walks into the living room to join her grandmother. Brendan Quinn, The Athletic, 1 July 2024 Of course, Yvonne has a bowl of pho waiting on the table for her. Brendan Quinn, The Athletic, 1 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for pho 

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Vietnamese phở

First Known Use

1935, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pho was in 1935

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near pho

Cite this Entry

“Pho.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pho. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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