Meanings
interjection
alternative ho ho ho
- A deep, hearty laugh; now most associated with Santa Claus.
The fellow then went to ride him through a great plash of water, "and in the middle of it he found himself with nothing but a pack-saddle between his legs, while Robin went off laughing, Ho, ho, hoh!
1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 287
Origin
First attested in the mid-12th century.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic هو، هو، هو
- هو، هو، هو (hō, hō, hō)a laugh or chuckle, most associated with Santa Claus
Chinese 嚯，嚯，嚯, 霍，霍，霍
- 嚯，嚯，嚯 (huò, huò, huò)a laugh or chuckle, most associated with Santa Claus
- 霍，霍，霍 (huō, huō, huō)a laugh or chuckle, most associated with Santa Claus
Dutch ho, ho, ho
- ho, ho, hoa laugh or chuckle, most associated with Santa Claus
Finnish ho, ho, ho
- ho, ho, hoa laugh or chuckle, most associated with Santa Claus
French ho, ho, ho
- ho, ho, hoa laugh or chuckle, most associated with Santa Claus
German Ho, Ho, Ho
- Ho, Ho, Hoa laugh or chuckle, most associated with Santa Claus
Greek χο, χο, χο, χό, χό, χό
- χο, χο, χο (cho, cho, cho)a laugh or chuckle, most associated with Santa Claus
- χό, χό, χό (chó, chó, chó)a laugh or chuckle, most associated with Santa Claus
Hebrew חו, חו, חו
- חו, חו, חו (ho, ho, ho)a laugh or chuckle, most associated with Santa Claus
Hindi हो, हो, हो
- हो, हो, हो (ho, ho, ho)a laugh or chuckle, most associated with Santa Claus
Japanese ほ、ほ、ほ
- ほ、ほ、ほ (ho, ho, ho)a laugh or chuckle, most associated with Santa Claus
Korean 호, 호, 호
- 호, 호, 호 (ho, ho, ho)a laugh or chuckle, most associated with Santa Claus
Polish ho, ho, ho
- ho, ho, hoa laugh or chuckle, most associated with Santa Claus
Russian хо, хо, хо
- хо, хо, хо (xo, xo, xo)a laugh or chuckle, most associated with Santa Claus
Spanish jo, jo, jo
- jo, jo, joa laugh or chuckle, most associated with Santa Claus
Thai โฮโฮโฮ, โฮ้โฮ้โฮ้
- โฮโฮโฮ (ḥo ḥo ḥo)a laugh or chuckle, most associated with Santa Claus
- โฮ้โฮ้โฮ้ (ḥô ḥô ḥô)a laugh or chuckle, most associated with Santa Claus
Cite this entry
APA
ho, ho, ho. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ho%2C%20ho%2C%20ho
MLA
“ho, ho, ho.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ho%2C%20ho%2C%20ho. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ho, ho, ho,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ho%2C%20ho%2C%20ho.
Source: ho, ho, ho on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.