DictionaryAI

hi

HY/haɪ/

Noun pluralhis

5 meanings of hi

Practice

  1. 1
    a greetinginterjection
    A friendly, casual greeting said when someone arrives or when you meet them.

    Hi, come on in and make yourself at home.

    Hi, everyone, sorry I'm late. Traffic on the bridge was terrible.

    UsageLess formal than hello. Also common in say hi to someone and drop by to say hi.

    Similarhello, howdy, greetings

    Oppositebye, goodbye

    Note

    An American greeting whose earliest recorded use is in Miriam Davis Colt's Went to Kansas (1862), where a rider on the prairie gallops up "with his saluting 'hi!'". It probably descends from Middle English hey or hy, at first a call for attention.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

    • The greeting is American in origin, with its earliest recorded use in 1862. en.wiktionary.org
    • Miriam Davis Colt wrote Went to Kansas, first published in 1862. kancoll.org
    • The book describes a rider galloping up on the prairie and contains the quoted wording. kancoll.org
    • The greeting probably derives from Middle English hey or hy and originally attracted attention. en.wiktionary.org
  2. 2
    highadjectivecolloquial
    Informal spelling of high.

    The studio upgraded to hi-res monitors for sharper detail.

    They retrofitted the lab with hi-spec instruments last year.

    Note

    A respelling of high with no tie to the greeting: it comes straight from the adjective, not from the old hey.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

    • This spelling derives directly from high and has a separate origin from the greeting. en.wiktionary.org
  3. 3
    a greetingnouncountable
    A casual greeting, especially the single friendly word offered to someone upon meeting.

    A cheerful hi from the receptionist set everyone at ease.

    She sent a quick hi across the room with a smile.

    UsageUse give someone a hi, send someone a hi, or get a hi from someone. The plural is his.

    Similarhello, greeting

    Oppositegoodbye, farewell

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    attentioninterjection
    An exclamation used to catch someone's attention or to call out to them.

    "Hi!" I said again, louder, trying to snap him out of his daydream.

    Hi there, sir! You left your gloves on the bench back by the bus stop.

    Similarhey, oi

    Note

    Before it greeted, the word hailed, and here it keeps that older job. It is shouted across a distance, often beside hello or ahoy, as in Joseph C. Lincoln's Mr. Pratt's Patients (1913). In Tolkien's The Two Towers (1954), Sam cries "Hi! Come back!" after Gollum. Unlike the greeting, it asks the listener to turn around, not to reply.

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 5 facts

  2. 5
    surpriseinterjectiondated
    An exclamation expressing wonder or surprise, or used to show scorn and derision.

    Similarha, oh

    Note

    Wonder and derision share one syllable here, and only the voice tells them apart. The use is dated except in Ireland, where it is still heard at the end of a sentence, as in that's mad, hi! A modern listener hearing a lone "Hi!" will take it as the greeting or as a call for attention. Elsewhere it belongs in period dialogue or pastiche, where the surrounding scene makes the astonishment or the scorn plain.

    Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • Hi expresses wonder or derision and is dated outside Ireland. en.wiktionary.org
    • The Irish use can occur at the end of a sentence, as in the example given. en.wiktionary.org

Practice

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

Origins

Meanings 1, 3–5

As a greeting, this is American English, first recorded in 1862 in reference to the speech of a Kansas Indian. The older exclamation was originally used to attract attention and is probably a variant of Middle English "hey" or "hy" (around 1475), and is related to "hey."

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

  • The greeting originated in American English. en.wiktionary.org
  • The greeting was first recorded in 1862, referring to a Native American in Kansas. en.wiktionary.org
  • The early greeting quotation actually describes a Native American saying hi. kancoll.org
  • The older exclamation originally attracted attention. en.wiktionary.org
  • Hi probably derives from Middle English hey or hy, dated approximately 1475, and is related to hey. en.wiktionary.org
Meaning 2

A shortened respelling of high, used mainly in compounds such as hi-fi and hi-tech.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact