ouch

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See also: Ouch

English[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Uncertain. Some sources say the interjection is attested since 1838[1] (and specifically in American English) and derives ultimately from German autsch,[2][3] perhaps specifically via Pennsylvania German outch (“cry of pain”), as early attestations of the interjection are from Pennsylvania.[3] However, others say the interjection is a "mere"[4] or "natural" exclamation attested since the mid 1600s,[5] and the 1933 OED[3] cites one instance of a verb "ouch" in 1654, "Sancho Pancas Runs Ouching round the mountaine like a ranck-Asse".[6]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈaʊt͡ʃ/
  • Rhymes: -aʊtʃ
  • Audio (US-Inland North)(file)

Interjection[edit]

ouch

  1. An expression of one's own physical pain.
    Ouch! You stepped on my toe! That hurt!
  2. An expression in sympathy at another's pain.
    Ouch! Her sunburn looks awful.
  3. A reply to an insult seen as savage (frequently one that is tongue-in-cheek or joking).
    Ouch. How could you say that?
  4. An expression of disappointment.
    Ouch, I really wanted to do that.
  5. (slang) Expressing surprise at the high price of something.
    Ouch, one hundred thousand dollars for a car! I could never afford that!
Synonyms[edit]
Translations[edit]

Noun[edit]

ouch (plural ouches)

  1. (informal) Something that causes discomfort or pain.
    Synonym: ooch
Translations[edit]

Verb[edit]

ouch (third-person singular simple present ouches, present participle ouching, simple past and past participle ouched)

  1. (intransitive) To exclaim "ouch!" in discomfort or pain.
    • 1984 April 21, “Mousie Mousie Wildflower”, in Gay Community News, page 18:
      Imperturbability your skill, not mine / I ouch out loud and clear / Your forgiveness, like Pope's divine / I'm just an angry queer
Translations[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Variant forms.

Noun[edit]

ouch (plural ouches)

  1. Alternative form of ouche

References[edit]

  1. ^ “ouch”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
  2. ^ “ouch”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933. ("ouch")
  4. ^ “ouch”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
  5. ^ “ouch”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
  6. ^ 1654, Gayton, Pleas. Notes IV. ii. 176, "But harke Sancho Pancas Runs Ouching round the mountaine like a ranck-Asse, Braying for's Company.

Anagrams[edit]

French[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Interjection[edit]

ouch

  1. interjection expressing a sharp pain: ouch!

Synonyms[edit]

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