Hey!

hey

informal

1. Used as a greeting (as a substitute for "hello"). A: "Hey, John, nice to see you!" B: "Hey, Sarah, nice to see you too!" A: "Hey, Laura! Just the person I was looking for!" B: "Oh no. What do you need now, Doug?" A: "Hey Jen." B: "Hey! How are you?"

2. Used to attract someone's attention. Hey, mister! You dropped something over there! Hey! HEY! Look over here! A: "Hey! Can we get a ride?" B: "Yeah, hop in."

3. Used to express any sudden reaction, such as surprise, indignation, wonder, etc. Hey, watch it, pal! You almost ran into me! Hey, what's this pocket watch doing in here? Hey, stop looking at your phone while you're driving! What, are you trying to get us killed?

4. Used as a confirmational marker at the end of a sentence to invite the listener to respond. A variant of "eh," primarily heard in Canada. Nice weather today we're having today, hey? So you've seen Tom's new car. She's a beaut, hey? This sure is a fine cottage on the lake, hey?

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

Hey!

interj. hello. (Colloquial. A standard greeting in much of the South, and now heard everywhere.) Hey, Walter. How are you?

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.