hello
interjectionnounverbtop 1 000 in film dialogue
- United Kingdom//həˈləʊ//
- United States//hɛˈloʊ//
- United States//həˈloʊ//
A greeting (salutation) said when meeting someone or acknowledging someone’s arrival or presence.
interjection
- 1
A greeting (salutation) said when meeting someone or acknowledging someone’s arrival or presence.
Hello, everyone.
- 2
A greeting used when answering the telephone.
Hello? How may I help you?
Hello. This is Marsha. ― Yes, Marsha.
- 3
A call for response if it is not clear if anyone is present or listening, or if a telephone conversation may have been disconnected.
Hello? Is anyone there?
I made a speaking trumpet of my hands and commenced to whoop “Ahoy!” and “Hello!” at the top of my lungs. […] The Colonel woke up, and, after asking what in brimstone was the matter, opened his mouth and roared “Hi!” and “Hello!” like the bull of Bashan.
- 4
Used sarcastically to imply that the person addressed has done something the speaker considers to be foolish, or missed something that should have been obvious.
You just tried to start your car with your cell phone. Hello?
Dionne: Hello? There was a stop sign. Cher: I totally paused.
Uh, hello? We're using a CANNON to get to the moon? Isn't that, like, dangerous?
- 5
An expression of puzzlement or discovery.
Hello! What’s going on here?
Etymology
First attested in 1826. From holla, hollo (attested 1588). This variant of hallo is often credited to Thomas Edison as a coinage for telephone use, but its appearance in print predates the invention of the telephone by several decades. Ultimately from a variant of Old English ēalā, such as hēlā, which was used colloquially at the time similarly to how hey and (in some dialects) hi are used nowadays. Thus, equivalent to a compound of hey and lo. Used when drawing attention to yourself. Possibly influenced by Old Saxon halo, imperative of halōn (“to call, fetch”), used in hailing a ferryman, akin to Old High German hala, hola!, imperative forms of halōn, holōn (“to fetch”). For more information, see hallo. The Oxford English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster Dictionary also suggested that it is a variant of holla, a variant of holloo. Further beyond, the origin remains uncertain. OED and Merriam-Webster suggested that it has a connection between hallow (“to shout, to cry out loud”), which came from Old French holloer, which, according to Altfranzösisches Wörterbuch, is from Old Saxon halōn.
noun
- 1
"Hello!" or an equivalent greeting.
They gave each other a quick hello when they met, and went back on their merry ways.
In many new buildings, though, neighbors are venturing beyond tight-lipped hellos at the mailbox.
verb
- 1
To greet (someone) with "hello".
She is there guarding and looking after the candy and the children generally, and she helloes and renders an exclamation that Maidie is crossing the street.
He helloes to my daughter:[…]
‘Hello Minka! Great to meet you!’ Minka seems nonplussed at what I thought was an uncontroversial opening remark. There’s an awkward pause. She then helloes me back. But that’s all I get.
I had to traipse around somewhat, helloing people and being helloed, before I spotted my mother and my father, sharing shade and a spread blanket with Pete and Marie Reese and Toussaint Rennie near the back of the park.
Forms
- plural
- hellos, helloes
- past tense
- helloed
- past participle
- helloed
- present participle
- helloing
- third person singular
- hellos, helloes
hello · A greeting (salutation) said when meeting someone or acknowledging someone’s arrival or presence.
helm · The tiller (or, in a large ship, the wheel) which is used to…Helm · The wind that blows westward from the Pennine fells over…helmet · A hard, protective head covering, typically part of armour.