DictionaryAI

hello

he-LOH/hɛˈloʊ/Sayhuh-LOH/həˈləʊ//həˈləʉ/

Noun pluralhellos, helloes

Verbhellos, helloing, helloed

6 meanings of hello

Practice

  1. 1
    hi thereinterjection
    A word you say to greet someone when you meet them or when you answer the phone.

    Hello, Maria! I haven't seen you in ages.

    Hello and welcome. Please find a seat wherever you like.

    UsageSay Hello, everyone to a group, or Hello there.

    Similarhi, hey, greetings

    Oppositegoodbye, bye, farewell

    Note
  2. 2
    nouncountable
    An act of saying hello or a similar greeting to someone.

    She gave me a quick hello and walked on.

    He walked right past me without even a hello.

    UsageSay hello to her for me means give her my greetings.

    Similargreeting, welcome, salutation

    Oppositegoodbye, farewell

    Note
  3. 3
    checking contactinterjection
    Said loudly to find out if anyone is there or still listening.

    Hello? Is anybody home?

    Hello? Are you still there?

    UsageWrite Hello? with a question mark.

    Similarhey

    Note
  4. 4
    say hi toverbtransitive
    To greet someone by saying hello to them.

    I always hello my coworkers when I arrive in the morning.

    She helloed the new neighbors warmly at the door.

    Similargreet, hail, salute

    Note
  5. 5
    sarcasticinterjectioncolloquial
    Said in a rude way to show you think someone missed something obvious.

    Hello? You can't just walk away in the middle of our talk!

    I told you three times already, hello!

    UsageYou can put Hello? before or after pointing out a mistake.

    Similarduh

  6. 6
    interjectionUK
    Said when you are confused by something or suddenly notice it.

    Hello, where did my keys go?

    Hello! That wasn't there a minute ago.

    UsageSay Hello, what's this? when you notice something odd.

    Similarhmm, huh, hey

    Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of hello apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

First seen in print in 1826, hello grew out of older calls like hallo and holla. Thomas Edison later helped make it the usual way to answer the phone.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts