Definitions for hello
hɛˈloʊ, hə-, ˈhɛl oʊhel·lo

Princeton's WordNet(4.30 / 10 votes)Rate this definition:

1. hello, hullo, hi, howdy, how-do-you-donoun

   an expression of greeting

   "every morning they exchanged polite hellos"

GCIDE(5.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Hellointerj. & n.

   An exclamation used as a greeting, to call attention, as an exclamation of surprise, or to encourage one. This variant of Halloo and Holloo has become the dominant form. In the United States, it is the most common greeting used in answering a telephone.

Wiktionary(4.15 / 7 votes)Rate this definition:

1. hellonoun

   "Hello!" or an equivalent greeting.

   Etymology: hello (first attested in 1846) from hallo (attested 1840), 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.

2. hellointerjection

   A greeting (salutation) said when meeting someone or acknowledging someone's arrival or presence.

   Hello, everyone.

   Etymology: hello (first attested in 1846) from hallo (attested 1840), 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.

3. hellointerjection

   A greeting used when answering the telephone.

   Hello? How may I help you?

   Etymology: hello (first attested in 1846) from hallo (attested 1840), 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.

4. hellointerjection

   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?

   Etymology: hello (first attested in 1846) from hallo (attested 1840), 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.

5. hellointerjection

   Used sarcastically to imply that the person addressed or referred to has done something the speaker or writer considers to be foolish.

   You just tried to start your car with your cell phone. Hello?

   Etymology: hello (first attested in 1846) from hallo (attested 1840), 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.

6. hellointerjection

   An expression of puzzlement or discovery.

   Hello! What's going on here?

   Etymology: hello (first attested in 1846) from hallo (attested 1840), 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.

Wikipedia(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Hello

   Hello is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826.

Webster Dictionary(1.86 / 7 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Hello

   see Halloo

Freebase(4.80 / 5 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Hello

   Hello is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is attested in writing as early as the 1860s.

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Hello

   A quick greeting; often showing likeness to the other person(s).

   “Hello! How are you today?”

   Submitted by mooney.madiso02 on February 12, 2019  

Suggested Resources(2.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. hello

   Song lyrics by hello -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by hello on the Lyrics.com website.

Matched Categories

1. • Greeting

British National Corpus

1. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'hello' in Written Corpus Frequency: #426

How to pronounce hello?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say hello in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of hello in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of hello in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of hello in a Sentence

1. Lucy Tu:

   I already missed out during my senior year, i know what is lost when you aren't in person. I can't imagine saying hello to all these people I want to get to know better only on a screen.

2. John Cantlie:

   Hello, I'm John Cantlie. Today we are at Mosul University … or at least what’s left of Mosul University.

3. Shontel Brown:

   For me, a partner is someone who comes to the table and negotiates and has difficult conversations, a puppet is someone who entertains on a national stage and has catchphrases like' hello, somebody' -- with folks pulling their strings and giving them talking points.

4. Pereira da Silva:

   Sometimes we feel intimidated, just going out into the hall, we are obligated to bow our heads or say hello to police officers.

5. Don Carpenter quoting a Hollywood agent:

   Hello," he lied.

Images & Illustrations of hello

Popularity rank by frequency of use