hello

American  

[he-loh, huh-, hel-oh] / hɛˈloʊ, hə-, ˈhɛl oʊ /

interjection

1. (used to express a greeting, answer a telephone, or attract attention.)

2. (an exclamation of surprise, wonder, elation, etc.)

3. (used derisively to question the comprehension, intelligence, or common sense of the person being addressed).

   You're gonna go out with him? Hello!

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noun

plural

hellos

1. the call “hello” (used as an expression of greeting).

   She gave me a warm hello.

verb (used without object)

helloed, helloing

1. to say “hello”; to cry or shout.

   I helloed, but no one answered.

verb (used with object)

helloed, helloing

1. to say “hello” to (someone).

   We helloed each other as though nothing had happened.

hello British  

/ hə-, ˈhɛləʊ, hɛˈləʊ /

1. an expression of greeting used on meeting a person or at the start of a telephone call

2. a call used to attract attention

3. an expression of surprise

4. an expression used to indicate that the speaker thinks his or her listener is naive or slow to realize something

   Hello? Have you been on Mars for the past two weeks or something?

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noun

1. the act of saying or calling "hello"

Etymology

Origin of hello

First recorded in 1865–70; variant of hallo

Explanation

Hello! Hi! How are you doing? Hello is a salutation or greeting commonly used to begin conversations or telephone calls. Hello has been used as an English greeting since the 19th century. Most agree that it is related to the older French exclamation “Holà” — which means essentially “Ho there!” — like you might say to a horse to tell it to stop. Nowadays it’s still used to get someone’s attention but instead of stopping you’re starting something — usually a chat. Hallo and Hullo are variations of Hello used by British English speakers.

Example Sentences

The president paused twice to say hello to schoolchildren cheering with Chinese and American flags.

From BBC • May 14, 2026

“Salam means peace and it’s a way to say hello in Arabic,” he told the Muppet.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

But if it were to happen, hello, national crisis!

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 26, 2026

Out of nowhere, Ric appeared, said hello to everyone and, as if nothing untoward had happened, sat down and ate his eggs and beans.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

Barry couldn’t walk half a block without someone shouting hello from a porch and waving him up for a chat and a glass of iced tea.

From "I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005" by Lauren Tarshis