ooh

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ooh"

English

WOTD – 3 July 2008

ooh (with as many 'o's as needed to express the length of the utterance)

An expression of surprise.
An expression of awe.
A sound made to imitate a ghost.
An expression of affection.
An expression of pain.
An expression of excitement, anticipation, or enthusiastic interest.
Ooh, I love that book!

Ooh, that looks delicious!

expressing surprise

expressing awe

imitating ghost

expressing affection

ooh (plural oohs)

An exclamation of ooh.
- 2009 January 4, Joe Brescia, “Twins Graduate From Columbia to Stardom at the Circus”, in The New York Times‎^[1], archived from the original on 11 February 2021:
  In any given performance, their tosses and spins and leaps elicit oohs and ahhs from children and adults.
- 2013, Tom Turpin, Modern Custom Guns: Walnut, Steel, and Uncommon Artistry, 2nd edition, Iola, Wis.: Gun Digest Books, →ISBN, page 47:
  The most underrated component in building a custom gun is the metalsmithing. Stock work immediately attracts attention. Fancy checkering patterns, meticulously executed, are sure to elicit oohs and ahhs.

ooh (third-person singular simple present oohs, present participle oohing, simple past and past participle oohed)

To exclaim ooh.
- 2010, Kieran Kramer, chapter 7, in When Harry Met Molly, St. Martin’s Paperbacks, →ISBN, page 66:
  In the next few minutes, Molly tossed dress after dress aside, oohing and aahing at the varied fabrics, the elaborate detailing of each one, until she found a dress that was— / Breathtaking.

From Old Irish og, further etymology uncertain.

ooh m (genitive singular oohey, plural oohyn)