oh

1 of 3

interjection

(ˈ)ō 

variants or less commonly O

1

—used to express an emotion (such as surprise or desire) or in response to physical stimuli

Oh, no! I forgot my key.

Oh, don't stop!

2

—used in direct address

oh, waiter! Will you come here, please?

3

—used to express acknowledgment or understanding of a statement

Oh, yes. It's one of my favorite cities.

4

—used to introduce an example or approximation

Their house is about, oh, I'd say four miles from here.

oh

2 of 3

noun

ˈō 

: zero

OH

3 of 3

abbreviation

Ohio

Synonyms

Noun

• aught
• cipher
• goose egg
• naught
• nought
• nil
• nothing
• o
• zero
• zilch
• zip

Examples of oh in a Sentence

Noun

the number is one-oh-two-four

Recent Examples on the Web

Interjection

But oh, does Sorrentino know how to apply liberal splashes of visual lushness to this pretty fashion plate of a movie that’s perfumed like one of those ads in a magazine. —Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 13 Feb. 2025

And, oh, to finish the season among the WNBA’s top five in assists by distributing to her dear friend and former Aces teammate Dearica Hamby, and to the Sparks’ young frontcourt talents, Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson. —Mirjam Swanson, Orange County Register, 13 Feb. 2025

And oh, look: another fire had started in Sylmar, to the north of our house. —Lesley M. M. Blume, Vogue, 9 Jan. 2025

Uh oh—that box of crayons has melted into a waxy mess. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 8 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Interjection

Middle English o

Noun

o; from the similarity of the symbol for zero (0) to the letter O

First Known Use

Interjection

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1936, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing oh

• hit the big five-oh
• hit the big four-oh
• oh yeah
• uh-oh

Kids Definition

oh

1 of 2 interjection

variants or O

(ˈ)ō

1

—used to express an emotion (as astonishment or desire) or in response to a physical sensation (as pain)

2

—used in direct address

Oh sir, you forgot your change

3

—used to express understanding of a statement

oh, that's what you mean

4

—used to introduce an example or a guess

there are probably, oh, six or seven different ways to do that

oh

2 of 2 noun

ˈō 

: zero entry 1 sense 1