Meanings
interjection
- CommonwealthIrelandUKdatedinformalAn exclamation of greeting, summons, or surprise.
The Count’s in danger,—what ho! there! approach!
1817 May 5, Lord Byron, “Letter CCLXXVIL To Mr. Murray.”, in Thomas Moore, editor, Letters and Journals of Lord Byron: With Notices of His Life, […], volume II, London: John Murray, […], published 1830, →OCLC, page 233 more examples
What ho, there! All who are within hearing, return without fear. Caesar has tamed the lion.
1912 February 6 (date written), [George] Bernard Shaw, “Androcles and the Lion”, in Androcles and the Lion, Overruled, Pygmalion, London: Constable and Company, published 1916, →OCLC, Act II, page 44"[…]in he came, and I said ‘Oh, what ho!' and introduced Wally Mason.[…]"
1920 April 10 – August 28, Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, The Little Warrior [Jill the Reckless], New York, N.Y.: George H[enry] Doran Company, published 8 October 1920, →OCLC, page 152‘What ho!’ said Adrian, getting up to shut the door. ‘Treasons, stratagems and spoils.’
1991 September, Stephen Fry, chapter 1, in The Liar, London: Heinemann, →ISBN, section I, page 18
Cite this entry
APA
what ho. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/what%20ho
MLA
“what ho.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/what%20ho. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “what ho,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/what%20ho.
Source: what ho on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.