ow

American

[ou] / aʊ /

interjection

(used especially as an expression of intense or sudden pain.)

ow British

/ aʊ /

interjection

an exclamation of pain

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It comes off kind of funny but that’s like: ow.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 3, 2023

Either way, the Kraken identity — including finishing games the right way — has ow transcended their top scorers even.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 5, 2021

I think I've looked back at my work and I'm like, "Oh, ow, OK."

From Salon • Feb. 9, 2019

Mr. Presidet, ba the efarious, ettlesome N. It’s your last chace: ow or ever.

From Washington Post • Mar. 7, 2018

She lets the sheet—ow, ow, ow—fall carefully over her.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023