# hey

Pronunciation: US/AUS say "HAY" /heɪ/; UK

## Interjection

1. A casual word used to greet someone, much like hi. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A friendly word you say to greet someone, much like hi.
   - _Hey, I was just thinking about you the other day._
   - _Hey, Sam! I didn't know you lived on this street._
2. An exclamation used to catch someone's attention. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A word you call out to make someone notice you.
   - _Hey, you dropped your keys on the way out!_
   - _He shouted hey to flag down the passing taxi._
3. Used, often after "but", to wave away a disadvantage as unimportant, or to lead into a remark that accepts things, reassures, or looks on the bright side. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Used, often after "but", to show that a problem does not matter much, or to add a cheerful comment.
   - _The pay isn't great, but hey, I get to work from home three days a week._
   - _So the cake came out a little lopsided. Hey, it still tastes good, and that's what counts._
4. An exclamation used to protest or scold. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A word you say to tell someone to stop doing something wrong.
   - _Hey, you can't just cut in front of everyone in line._
   - _Hey, watch where you're throwing those snowballs!_
5. An exclamation used to express surprise. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A word you say when something surprises you.
   - _Hey, that's the same car we saw yesterday!_
   - _Hey, my old phone still turns on after all these years._
6. A filler syllable or beat marker added to song lyrics, carrying no real meaning. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A sound singers add to fill out a beat in a song, with no real meaning.
   - _The whole crowd punched out a hey on every downbeat of the chorus._
   - _The songwriter dropped a hey into the gap to keep the rhythm moving._
7. Used at the end of a statement to emphasize it or to invite the listener's opinion. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A word added at the end to stress a point or ask what someone thinks.
   - _It's been a long week, hey?_
   - _That new café is pretty good, hey?_
9. An exclamation asking someone to repeat or explain something, or showing confusion. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A word you say when you are confused or did not understand.
   - _Hey? Sorry, I didn't catch that last part over the noise._
   - _"Hey?" Grandpa said, cupping a hand behind his ear. "Say that again, a bit louder."_

## Verb

8. To greet someone by saying "hey." *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To greet someone by saying hey to them.
   - _Regulars at the diner hey each other before they even sit down._
   - _When I passed his desk, he heyed me without even looking up from his screen._

## Noun

10. Another spelling of he: the name of the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet and of related Semitic alphabets. — Alternative spelling of he (“Hebrew letter”).
   - Simple: Another spelling of he: the name of the fifth letter in Hebrew and related Semitic alphabets.
   - _In this manuscript, the scribe formed each hey with a distinctive flourish._
   - _In Hebrew, adding a hey to the front of a noun works like the English word the._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A dance figure in which at least three dancers thread in and out of one another, passing alternately by right and left shoulders.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–9** — From Middle English hey (also ey without the h-), from an Old English interjection seen in words like hēlā and ēalā ("O!, alas!, lo!"). It has cognates in Dutch hé, German hei, Danish and Swedish hej, Old Norse and Norwegian hei, Polish hej, Russian эй, and many more. It is probably a natural expression, since similar sounds appear in many unrelated languages, such as Finnish hei and Mandarin 哎.
**Meaning 10** — A spelling in English letters of the name of the Hebrew letter ה and its counterparts in related Semitic alphabets, more often written he.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/hey (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).