Meanings
- UKUsed by stage magicians, when performing a magic trick.
Synonyms: abracadabra, alakazam, hey pass, abracadabra, alakazam, hey pass, hocus-pocus, kazaam
- UKcolloquialIndicates a sudden desirable conclusion or change, as if by magic
If you take the next left, you’ll see a big shop and hey presto, you’re there.
1 more example
They stick a couple of old potshards together, search for one or two adjacent cultures, stick a label on the restored find and—hey, presto!—once again everything fits splendidly into the approved pattern of thought.
1968, Erich von Däniken, Chariots of the Gods?, PutnamSynonyms: ta-da, voilà, behold, ecce, hark, lo, look, lookee
Synonyms & antonyms
interjectionUsed by stage magicians, when performing a magic trick.
interjectionIndicates a sudden desirable conclusion or change, as if by magic
Cite this entry
hey presto. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hey%20presto
“hey presto.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hey%20presto. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hey presto,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hey%20presto.
Source: hey presto on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.