hello

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Pronunciation

• (British) IPA: /həˈləʊ/, /hɛˈləʊ/
• (America) enPR hĕ-lō', IPA: /hɛˈloʊ/, /həˈloʊ/

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?

   • 2016, [https://web.archive.org/web/20170918070146/https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-lesson-3-i-am-here/3126527.html VOA Learning English] (public domain)

     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?

4. (colloquial) 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?

5. (chiefly, UK) An expression of puzzlement or discovery.

   Hello! What’s going on here?

Synonyms

• (greeting) seeSynonyms en
  • (Australia, informal) g'day, hey, hi,
  • (UK, informal) hallo, hi, hiya, ey up
  • (US, informal) hallo, hey, hi, howdy
  • (Ireland, informal) how's it going, hey, hi
  • (South Africa, informal) howzit
  • (slang) wassup, what's up, yo, sup, what's good
• (expression of puzzlement) seeSynonyms en

Antonyms

• (greeting) bye, goodbye

Translations

• French: salut (informal), bonjour, coucou(informal)
• German: hallo, guten Tag, servus, grüß Gott, gelobt sei Jesus Christ – as response
• Italian: ciao, salve, buongiorno, saluti
• Portuguese: oi, olá, (slang) e aí?
• Russian: приве́т
• Spanish: hola, buenos días, qué tal, buenas tardes

Translations

• French: allô
• German: hallo
• Italian: pronto
• Portuguese: alô, estou
• Russian: алло́
• Spanish: aló (Latin America), bueno (Mexico), diga (Spain), dígame (Spain), hola (Argentina), oigo (Cuba), ¿sí? (Spain)

Translations

• French: eh oh, ?, oh eh, ?, allô, ?, ohé, !
• German: hallo, jemand da?
• Italian: c'è nessuno?, c'è qualcuno
• Portuguese: olá
• Russian: ау́
• Spanish: aló, hola (Latin America)

Translations

• French: ho
• German: hallo, halloho
• Italian: ciao
• Portuguese: acorda, alô

Translations

• French: ouah
• German: hallo
• Portuguese: o que

Noun

hello (plural hellos)

1. "hello#Interjection|Hello!" or an equivalent greeting.

Synonyms

• greeting

Verb

hello (hellos, present participle helloing; past and past participle helloed)

1. (transitive) To greet with "hello".

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