English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

hmm

intj

A sound made to show you're thinking, hesitating, or considering something.

hmmm

intj

A drawn-out version of "hmm", used for extra emphasis while thinking something over.

hmong

noun

A people who live predominantly in the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand, and (in diaspora) around the world.

hms

noun

A style used for writing angles given in decimal form.

HMU

abbreviation

Used in messages and online posts to invite someone to contact you, usually about meeting up or making plans.

hnn

intj

Used to show that someone is thinking something over.

ho

intj

A shout used to draw attention, especially when spotting something in the distance.

hoa

interjection

An old-fashioned shout used to get someone's attention, similar to "hey" or "ho."

hoagie

noun

A large sandwich made on a long roll, packed with meats, cheese, and vegetables.

hoar

noun

A pale white or grey colour.

hoard

noun

A hidden store of valuable things, often kept secretly.

hoarder

noun

Someone who compulsively collects and keeps things, often far beyond what is useful or necessary.

hoarding

noun

A large outdoor advertising board; a billboard.

hoarse

adj

Having a rough, strained voice, often from shouting, a sore throat, or overuse.

hoarsely

adv

In a rough, strained voice.

hoary

adj

Pale white or grey in colour.

hoax

noun

Something made up on purpose to trick or deceive people.

hoaxer

noun

A person who plays hoaxes on others.

hob

noun

A tool used for cutting the teeth into a gear wheel.

Hobart

name

The capital city of Tasmania, Australia; also an English surname derived from Hubert.

Hobbes

name

An English surname, most famously borne by the philosopher Thomas Hobbes.

hobbit

noun

In fantasy fiction, a member of a small, human-like race with hairy feet, known for enjoying comfort and quiet living.

hobble

verb

To walk with difficulty, typically because of an injury or pain.

Hobbs

name

An English surname, also the name of a city in New Mexico, United States.

hobby

noun

An activity someone does regularly for pleasure in their free time, not for work.

hobbyist

noun

Someone who takes part in an activity or subject as a hobby, for enjoyment rather than work.

hobgoblin

noun

A small, unpleasant-looking goblin that causes mischief for people.

hobnob

noun

(dated) A drink to someone's health, made while clinking glasses together.

hobo

noun

A homeless person who travels from place to place, historically often by illegally hopping freight trains.

Hoboken

name

A city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, and a district of Antwerp, Belgium.

Hobson

name

An English surname, also the name of small communities in Alabama, Montana, and Texas.

hock

noun

The joint on the hind leg of an animal such as a horse, dog, or pig, roughly equivalent to an ankle.

hocked

adj

Having a particular kind of hock (leg joint), as in an animal's description.

hocket

noun

(music) A medieval technique in which a single melody is passed between two or more voices, each one sounding while the others pause.

hockey

noun

A team sport in which players use curved sticks to hit a ball or puck into a goal.

Hockney

name

An English surname, notably borne by the painter David Hockney.

hocus

verb

To trick or deceive someone.

hodad

noun

(informal, surfing) A person who hangs around the beach with a surfboard but either does not surf or surfs badly, annoying experienced surfers.

Hodge

name

A family name that began as a patronymic.

hodgepodge

noun

A mixture made up of lots of different things put together.

Hodges

name

An English surname, also the name of small towns in Alabama and South Carolina.

Hodgins

name

An English surname.

hodgkin

name

A family name that began as a patronymic.

hodiern

adj

Belonging to today; happening now.

hodja

noun

A Muslim teacher or religious scholar, especially one who teaches at a traditional school.

hodl

verb

To keep holding a cryptocurrency rather than selling it, particularly while its price is falling.

hoe

noun

A hand tool with a long handle and flat blade, used for weeding and turning soil.

hoedown

noun

A lively social gathering featuring American folk or square dancing.

hoejabi

noun

(offensive, slang) A woman who wears a hijab but is claimed to have many sexual partners.

Hofer

noun

Informal slang for someone inducted into a hall of fame; a hall-of-famer.

Hoff

name

An informal nickname for the actor David Hasselhoff.

Hoffa

name

An American surname, notably borne by labor leader Jimmy Hoffa.

Hoffman

name

A surname of German and Ashkenazi Jewish origin, also the name of small communities in several U.S. states.

hog

noun

A domestic pig, especially a full-grown one raised for meat.

hogan

noun

A traditional Navajo dwelling, typically a single round or many-sided room built from logs and earth.

Hogarth

name

A family name.

hogback

noun

A narrow ridge with steep sides, shaped by the wearing away of slanting rock layers.

hogg

noun

A young sheep, before it has grown its first pair of permanent teeth.

hogget

noun

A sheep aged roughly nine to eighteen months, before it grows its second pair of teeth.

hogging

noun

The act of taking up so much of something that others can't use or enjoy it.

hoggish

adj

Behaving like a pig.

hogshead

noun

A large cask used to measure liquid, holding around sixty-three wine gallons, roughly half a pipe.

Hogwarts

noun

The fictional boarding school for young witches and wizards in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels.

hogwash

noun

Nonsense; talk or writing that is foolish or untrue.

hogweed

noun

A coarse umbelliferous plant of the genus Heracleum, several species of which are phototoxic.

Hoh

name

A surname of German or Chinese origin.

hoist

verb

To raise or lift something up, often using ropes, pulleys, or machinery.

hoisting

noun

The action of lifting or raising something up.

Hojo

name

A Japanese surname, historically borne by a powerful regent clan of medieval Japan.

hoke

verb

To fake or exaggerate something to make it seem more dramatic, sentimental, or impressive than it really is (usually "hoke up").

hokey

adjective

Corny or overly sentimental in a way that feels fake or old-fashioned.

hokiness

noun

The quality of being hoky.

Hokkaido

noun

Japan's northernmost and second-largest main island, known for its cold winters and capital city Sapporo.

hokku

noun

Another term for haiku, a form of Japanese poem.

hokum

noun

(informal) Something foolish or untrue that is made to look serious and genuine.

Hol

name

A municipality in Buskerud, Norway.

hola

interjection

An informal greeting meaning "hello" or "hi," borrowed from Spanish.

hola, cómo estás

phrase

A Spanish greeting meaning hello, how are you, used with someone you address informally — a friend, a peer or a child.

Holbrook

name

An English habitational surname, and the name of several villages in England and towns in the United States.

hold

verb

To grasp, carry, or support something with your hands or arms.

holdall

noun

A big bag used to carry your things when you travel.

Holden

name

A family name.

holder

noun

A person who owns, possesses, or is entitled to something, such as a ticket, title, or account.

holding

noun

Something owned, especially investments such as stocks, property, or bonds.

holdman

name

The name of a unincorporated community in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States.

holdoff

noun

A fitting attached to something to stop two objects touching each other directly.

holdover

noun

Something kept or left over from an earlier period.

hole

noun

A hollow space or opening in something solid, or a gap that goes all the way through.

holed

adjective

Having a hole or holes in it.

Holi

noun

A Hindu spring festival celebrated by throwing colored powders and water at friends and strangers alike.

holiday

noun

A day set aside for a religious, cultural, or national celebration, often free from work.

holidaymaker

noun

A person who is away on holiday.

holidays

noun

Chiefly British: time off work or school, especially for travel or relaxation (usually plural).

holier-than-thou

adjective

Behaving as though you are morally better than everyone else, in a way others find smug and irritating.

holiness

noun

The quality or state of being holy or sacred.

holistic

adjective

Considering something as a complete, interconnected whole rather than breaking it into separate parts.

Holl

name

A German, Dutch, or English surname.

holla

verb

Informal: to shout or call out, especially as a casual greeting.

Holland

noun

A common informal name for the Netherlands, technically referring to just two of its provinces (North and South Holland).

hollandaise

noun

A rich, creamy sauce made from egg yolks, melted butter, and lemon juice, often served over eggs or vegetables.

Hollander

name

A surname meaning "a person from Holland."

holler

verb

To shout loudly, often to get attention or express strong feeling.

hollering

noun

Loud shouting or yelling.

Holli

name

A rare feminine given name, a spelling variant of Holly.

Holliday

name

An English surname derived from the word holiday, notably borne by the gambler and gunfighter Doc Holliday; also the name of small communities in Kansas, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

Hollingsworth

name

An English surname, also the name of a small community in Georgia, United States.

Hollis

name

An English surname derived from the word holly, also the name of a neighborhood in Queens, New York, and small towns in Maine, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma.

Hollister

name

An English surname, also the name of cities in California, Idaho, Missouri, and Oklahoma, and a well-known American clothing brand.

hollo

intj

(dated) A greeting used to show surprise or that you've noticed something.

hollow

noun

A small valley or dip between hills, or a sunken area on a surface.

Holloway

noun

A sunken path or lane, worn down below the level of the surrounding land, usually by centuries of foot and cart traffic.

holly

noun

A prickly-leaved evergreen shrub or small tree with bright red berries, often used as Christmas decoration.

hollyhock

noun

Any of a number of flowering plants belonging to the genus Alcea, within the mallow family Malvaceae.

Hollywood

name

A neighbourhood of Los Angeles that has become world-famous as the centre of the American film industry.

hollywoodland

name

A housing development in the hills above Hollywood, Los Angeles, California; its large advertising sign later became a symbol for both the Hollywood district and its film industry.

holm

noun

A small island, especially a low one in a river, lake, or estuary.

Holman

name

An English surname, also the name of small communities in Missouri, Texas, and West Virginia.

Holmes

noun

Informal, friendly term of address for a man, similar to "man" or "dude."

holmium

noun

A soft, malleable, silvery-white metallic chemical element with the symbol Ho and atomic number 67.

holocaust

name

(historical, capitalised) The mass murder of around six million European Jews by Nazi Germany during World War II.

holodeck

noun

A fictional room that generates realistic holographic simulations for training or entertainment.

hologram

noun

A three-dimensional image produced using laser light (holography).

holograph

noun

A document, such as a letter or will, written entirely by hand by the person who signed it.

holographic

adj

Relating to or in the form of a hologram.

holography

noun

The science of recording light patterns so that a three-dimensional image, or hologram, can later be created from them.

holster

noun

A holder, typically worn on a belt, for carrying a handgun.

holt

noun

A small wood or wooded hill.

Holtz

name

A German surname.

holy

adj

Regarded as sacred or dedicated to a god or religious purpose.

holy grail

noun

Something that is searched for with great determination because it would be the perfect solution or the ultimate prize, and that is usually very hard or impossible to find.

Hom

name

A Chinese surname, and also the station code of Ho Man Tin in Hong Kong.

homage

noun

A show of special respect or honour towards someone.

hombre

noun

A man, especially used informally, often implying a tough or rugged character.

homburg

noun

A stiff felt hat for men, similar to a trilby.

home

noun

The place where someone lives, especially with their family.

homeboy

noun

A close male friend, especially one from the same neighbourhood or hometown.

homecomer

noun

A person coming back home after being away.

homecoming

noun

The act of coming back home.

homegirl

noun

A close female friend, especially one from the same neighbourhood.

homegrown

adj

Grown or produced at home, locally, or within one's own country rather than imported.

homeland

noun

The country a person considers home, often their country of birth or ancestry.

homeless

adj

Without a permanent place to live.

homeless people

noun

People who have no permanent place to live, whether they are sleeping outdoors, in shelters, in temporary accommodation or on the floors of friends and relatives.

homeless person

noun

Someone who has no permanent home, whether they are sleeping outdoors, staying in a shelter or hostel, or moving between temporary places to stay.

homelessness

noun

The condition of not having a permanent place to live.

homeliness

noun

The quality of being homely in nature or style.

homeling

noun

A native inhabitant of a place, or something that belongs there.

homely

adj

Simple, cosy, and comfortable, in the way of a family home.

homemade

adj

Made at home rather than bought ready-made or produced in a factory.

homemaker

noun

A person, often not working outside the home, who runs a household and looks after its members.