yo

Y4O1
UK/jəʊ/US/joʊ//jɒ/

interjection

A greeting similar to hi.

“Yo, check this out!”

Similar
oiwotcherheyahoyahemcooeeheyohoi
OriginMiddle English yo, io, ȝo, yeo, yaw ← Old English ġēa ← Proto-Germanic *ja →
CommonScrabble 5
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Meanings

yo1

interjection

alternative pronunciation spelling yoh

  1. slangA greeting similar to hi.

    Yo Paulie! How's it going?

    Synonyms: oi, wotcher, hey

  2. slangAn interjection similar to hey.

    Yo, check this out!

    2 more examples

    Kerubo Onsoti: So for me it's those small things, those very, very little things are you seeing and sanction that I will take this to my uncle, say, I dunno, in the village who probably the most he understands is Swahili, but now he has to call his little children… […] Kerubo Onsoti: …or nephews… Kerubo Onsoti: And be like, yo, come and read this for me. Come and help.

    2024, Kerubo Onsoti, Irene Mwendwa on language exclusion and coloniality online

    Check this out, yo!

    Synonyms: ahoy, oi, ahem, ahoy, cooee, hey, heyo, hoi

  3. slangAn expression of surprise or excitement.

    Yo, that's crazy, but I don't remember asking.

    1 more example

    I have quickly acclimated myself to the standard form of greeting on campus: "Oh hey what’s your name? … Yeah, nice to meet you, what're you studying? … Yo that’s sick!" A script to recite, nearly verbatim, 10 times a day or more.

    2021 October 2, Mason Cannon, “Don't Feel Pressured To Declare Your Major Right Away”, in Study Breaks
  4. slanggovernmentPresent! Here!

    Sergeant: Smith? Private Smith: Yo!

  5. chiefly African-American VernacularEmphatic conclusion to a statement.

    JESSE: That is messed up, yo.

    2010, "Kafkaesque" (Breaking Bad TV series, season 3, episode 9)

yo2

determiner

alternative yo' · alternative pronunciation spelling yoh

  1. colloquialpronunciation spellingPronunciation spelling of your.

    Yo sandwich has only bacon in it. Want some ketchup on that?

yo3

pronoun

alternative pronunciation spelling yoh

  1. colloquialBaltimoreGeneric third-person singular pronoun (primarily used in place of he and she).

    Yo was tuckin' in his shirt!

    3 more examples

    Is dat yo mama? What's yo doin' in here??

    I've lost ma pet turtle! But I think yo ain't far from here… You seen yo?

    Wha' dey said to yo? Yo looks nervous.

yo4

noun

alternative pronunciation spelling yoh

  1. abbreviationAbbreviation of year(s) old.
  2. abbreviationinitialismcrochetInitialism of yarn over.

yo5

nounyo (plural yos)

plural yos · alternative pronunciation spelling yoh

  1. The name of the letter Ё/ё in Cyrillic alphabets.

yo6

numeral

alternative pronunciation spelling yoh

  1. abbreviationclippingClipping of yoleven.

yo7

nounyo (plural yo or yos)

plural yos · alternative pronunciation spelling yoh

  1. obsoleteObsolete form of yue, a traditional Chinese unit of volume.

yo8

nounyo (plural yos)

plural yos · alternative pronunciation spelling yoh

  1. alternativebusinessAlternative form of YO
  2. Alternative form of YO:
    1. abbreviationbusinessAbbreviation of yarnover.
verbyo (third-person singular simple present yos, present participle yoing, simple past and past participle yoed)

present singular third person yos · participle present yoing · participle past yoed · past yoed · alternative pronunciation spelling yoh

  1. alternativebusinessAlternative form of YO
  2. Alternative form of YO:
    1. abbreviationbusinessAbbreviation of yarnover.

YO9

phrase
  1. abbreviationAbbreviation of years old.
proper noun
  1. abbreviationinitialismInitialism of the Special Region of Yogyakarta: a province of Indonesia.
noun
  1. abbreviationbusinessAbbreviation of yarnover.
    1. businessA technique in which the yarn is passed over the right-hand needle. In general, the new loop is knitted on the next row, either by itself (producing a hole) or together with an adjacent stitch.
verbYO (third-person singular simple present YOs, present participle YOing, simple past and past participle YOed)

present singular third person YOs · participle present YOing · participle past YOed · past YOed

  1. abbreviationbusinessAbbreviation of yarnover.
    1. businessTo make a yarnover.

Synonyms & antonyms

interjectionA greeting similar to hi.

Similar
oiwotcherhey

interjectionAn interjection similar to hey.

Similar
ahoyoiahemahoycooeeheyheyohoioioi oiyoohoo
Similar
hi
Also see
ahoyayoayyhelloheyheyohistoioi oipsstyarnoveryayyo-hoyolevenyoohooy’reyt?

Origin

yo · interjection

  1. Old Englishēow“Wo!, Alas!”
  2. Proto-Germanic*ja“yes, thus, so”
  3. Old Englishġēa“yes, yea”
  4. Middle Englishyo, io, ȝo, yeo, yaw
  5. Englishyo

As a greeting first attested in 1859, attested first as a cry of sailors and huntsmen (first attested in the 1400s; compare e.g. huzzah, giddyup). Originally from Middle English yo, io, ȝo, yeo, yaw, variant forms of ya, ye (“yes, yea”), from Old English ġēa (“yes, yea”), from Proto-Germanic *ja (“yes, thus, so”); or perhaps from Old English ēow (“Wo!, Alas!”, interjection). Compare Danish, Swedish, German, Norwegian jo (“yes (flexible meaning)”), Dutch jow (“hi, hey”) and Dutch jo (“hi, hey”). More at yea, ow, ew. Modern popularity apparently dates from the early 20th century in Philadelphia, PA; amongst the Italian Community there, where io, with (as opposed to in standard Italian language) the stress on the ultima, was a common salutatory response among residents, particularly young males. This usage was apparently reinforced by the aforesaid English terms. It has been claimed to have been a common response at roll calls during World War 2 (see definition 4), and then most intensely attested in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; it thence spread globally from American dominance of pop culture post-WWII.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic

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yo · determiner

From a non-rhotic pronunciation of your with the dough-door merger.

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yo · pronoun

Ellipsis of such phrases as your friend/buddy, your brother/sister, your mom/dad, etc., referring to someone (whether present or absent, male or female) who is related to the interlocutor in some way. All such forms were then shortened to your (pronounced [joʊ], "yo", which see above). Eventually, the original meaning "your [someone]" was lost and broadened to "that person".

Full word history & related roots →

yo · noun

  1. Russianё
  2. Englishyo

From Russian ё (jo).

More words from Russian

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yo · noun

  1. Chinese龠
  2. Englishyo

From irregular romanization of the standard Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 龠 (yuè).

More words from Chinese

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish moi, jou
  • moigreeting similar to hi
  • jougreeting similar to hi
  • heiinterjection similar to hey
  • jooexpression of surprise or excitement
  • jouexpression of surprise or excitement
Hungarian csá
  • cságreeting similar to hi
Indonesian hoi, oi
  • hoigreeting similar to hi
  • oigreeting similar to hi
Japanese よ
  • よ (yo)greeting similar to hi
Malay oi, hoi
  • oigreeting similar to hi
  • hoigreeting similar to hi
Polish siema, ej
  • siemagreeting similar to hi
  • ejinterjection similar to hey
  • ejexpression of surprise or excitement
Portuguese oi, ei
  • oigreeting similar to hi
  • eiinterjection similar to hey
  • ebaexpression of surprise or excitement
  • obaexpression of surprise or excitement
Romanian măi, mă
  • măigreeting similar to hi
  • măgreeting similar to hi
  • băigreeting similar to hi
  • băgreeting similar to hi
  • măiinterjection similar to hey
  • măinterjection similar to hey
  • băiinterjection similar to hey
  • băinterjection similar to hey
  • măiexpression of surprise or excitement
  • măexpression of surprise or excitement
  • băiexpression of surprise or excitement
  • băexpression of surprise or excitement
Russian йо́у, ё
  • йо́у (jóu)greeting similar to hi
  • ё (jo)Ё
Swedish tja, sho
  • tjagreeting similar to hi
  • shogreeting similar to hi

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with yo

todonosogoknowshowolowbelowcoproagothoughohalthoughflowpojoemosnowhellorowgrow
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

yo. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yo

MLA

“yo.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yo. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “yo,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yo.

Source: yo on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.