X's and O's

Meanings

nounX's and O's pl (plural only)

pluralplural onlytic-tac-toe
Tic Tac Toe has many names in other countries— it is called “Kata Kuti” in the Eastern part of India, “Exy-Ozies” in Ireland, and “Xs and Os” in Zimbabwe!
2022, Deepankar Maitra, “Build Your Own Game with a Simple Algorithm—Tic Tac Toe”, in Beginner's Guide to Code Algorithms: Experiments to Enhance Productivity and Solve Problems, Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, →DOI, →ISBN, page 17
2 more examples
Against one wall they had three chickens in three different cages with electric X's and O's to play X's and O's with the chicken. You insert 25 cents and the chicken would peck at an X. It was impossible to beat the chicken, because there was an electrical shock that made the chicken hit the right button.
2011 November 23, Tommy Marks Donily, Gangster Ways, page 33
Before we can explore computer play at chess, let's start with a much simpler game: the game of tic-tac-toe (also called noughts and crosses, Xs and Os, or exy-ozys). This game is one of the first games that many kids learn.
2016, James Hendler, Alice M. Mulvehill, “The Games We Play”, in Social Machines: The Coming Collision of Artificial Intelligence, Social Networking, and Humanity, New York, NY: Apress, →DOI, →ISBN, page 36
idiomaticpluralplural onlyhobbiesThe fundamental elements of a play.
idiomaticpluralplural onlymanagementThe basic delineation of roles in a project.

nounX's and O's pl (plural only)

abbreviationpluralplural onlyAbbreviation of kisses and hugs.
The college co-ed signed her letter to her mother with X's and O's.
Synonyms: xoxo

Also see

Derived from the use of the letters X and O as common stand-ins for other concepts.

Cite this entry

APA

X's and O's. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/X's%20and%20O's

MLA

“X's and O's.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/X's%20and%20O's. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “X's and O's,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/X's%20and%20O's.