ah Meaning & Definition
What Does Ah Mean?
Ah is used as an interjection meaning An expression of relief, relaxation, comfort, confusion, understanding, wonder, awe, etc. according to uttered inflection. It can also mean A syllable used to fill space, particularly in music. As a noun, it means An instance of the interjection ah. As a verb, it means To give a cry of "ah".
Quick Facts About Ah
| Part of speech | interjection, noun, verb, pronoun, particle |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | //ɑː// |
| Syllables | 1 |
| Synonyms | ch, ich and m'ass |
| Plural | ahs |
| Verb forms | ahs, ahing, ahed |
Ah Definition (Interjection)
- An expression of relief, relaxation, comfort, confusion, understanding, wonder, awe, etc. according to uttered inflection.
Ah, I understand now.
- A syllable used to fill space, particularly in music.
Ah as a Noun
- An instance of the interjection ah.
the crowd's oohs and ahs at the fireworks
Ah as a Verb
- To give a cry of "ah".
Ah as a Pronoun
- Pronunciation spelling of I, most often indicating that the speaker is using a Scottish or American (particularly Southern) accent or African-American Vernacular English.
Ah as a Particle
- Marks a yes–no tag question prompting the listener to clarify or confirm something.
Pitch contour: low-mid /ɑ(ː)˨/, [ä˨]
- Reinforces a short, non-rhetorical wh-question.
Pitch contour: rising /ɑ(ː)˨˦/
- Emphasizes the need for absolute confirmation, permission or acknowledgment.
Pitch contour: rising /ɑ(ː)˨˦/
- A particle indicating the topic of a sentence from its comment.
Pitch contour: rising /ɑ(ː)˨˦/
- A confirmative final particle used in the middle of a sentence to ascertain the continued attention of the listener.
Pitch contour: rising /ɑ(ː)˨˦/
- Tagged at the end of non-interrogative sentence to convey a sense of informality or resignation.
Pitch contour: mid-falling /ɑ(ː)˧˨/
- A vocative particle, used for direct address (over telephone calls, or to directly address the listener).
Pitch contour: low-mid /ɑ(ː)˨/
- Used as an intensifier in fixed expressions, sometimes exhortative in meaning.
Pitch contour: mid-falling /ɑ(ː)˧˨/, low-mid /ɑ(ː)˨/
Interjection
- An expression, used when it has become clear that there is a straightforward conclusion or resolution to something.
Pitch contour: mid-falling /ɑ(ː)˧˨/, falling /ɑ(ː)˦˨/, sometimes nasalized
- A condescending expression, used in response to someone holding stubborn beliefs when it has become clear that they were wrong all the time, somewhat like see? or I told you so.
Pitch contour: mid-falling /ɑ(ː)˧˨/, falling /ɑ(ː)˦˨/, sometimes nasalized
Interjection
- Yuck.
Pronoun
- The speaker or writer, referred to as the grammatical subject, of a sentence.
- The speaker or writer, referred to as the grammatical object, of a sentence.
Mom drove my sister and I to school.
Synonyms of Ah
Ah synonyms and antonyms →Antonyms of Ah
No antonyms or near antonyms are listed by the available sources for this entry.
Ah in a Sentence
Ah, I understand now.
Ah! It's good to be back home!
Ah, the flowers of spring.
the crowd's oohs and ahs at the fireworks
Pitch contour: low-mid /ɑ(ː)˨/, [ä˨]
You’re dyslexic ah?
Pitch contour: rising /ɑ(ː)˨˦/
How do you delete this row ah?
Don’t drink and drive ah...
The drilling upstairs ah, non-stop leh.
Pitch contour: mid-falling /ɑ(ː)˧˨/
Pitch contour: low-mid /ɑ(ː)˨/
Hello? Joey ah?
Pitch contour: mid-falling /ɑ(ː)˧˨/, low-mid /ɑ(ː)˨/
Heng ah...
Pitch contour: mid-falling /ɑ(ː)˧˨/, falling /ɑ(ː)˦˨/, sometimes nasalized
Mom drove my sister and I to school.
Word Forms & Grammar
ah
ah (plural ahs)
ah (third-person singular simple present ahs, present participle ahing, simple past and past participle ahed)
ah (personal pronoun, plural we, possessive adjective mah)
Words That Rhyme With Ah
Origin of Ah
Origin 1: From Middle English ah, aa, a (“ah”), of imitative origin, or from Old English ēa, *eah (“oh, alas”), from Proto-West Germanic *a, *ah (“ah”). Earliest recorded use is circa 1175 in the Ormulum: A, Maȝȝstre! icc wat tatt tu full wiss Arrt Godess Sune ("Ah, Master! I know for sure that thou art God's Son"). Some propose that the Middle English is borrowed from Old French a (“ah!, oh!, hey!”) (represented by modern French ah).[1][2]
Origin 2: Compare also West Frisian a, ah (“ah”), Dutch a, ah (“ah”), Middle Low German a (“ah”), Old High German a, aa, ah (“ah, oh”) (whence modern German ah), Faroese áh (“oh, ah, alas”), Icelandic æ, ai (“ah, oh”), Latin ah (“ah”).
Origin 3: From Hokkien 啊 (--a, a) and Teochew 啊 (a7), reinforced by Tamil -ஆ (-ā, etymology 3, particle sense 1) among Tamil speakers (Baskaran, 1988).
Origin 4: Imitative of a person gagging.
How Do You Say Ah?
Ah is pronounced //ɑː// and has 1 syllable.
Questions People Ask About Ah
Is ah an interjection or a noun?
Ah is mainly used as an interjection, but it can also be used as a noun, a verb, a pronoun and a particle.
What is another word for ah?
You can replace ah with words such as ch, ich and m'ass. See the full list of ah synonyms and antonyms.
What is the plural of ah?
The plural of ah is ahs.
What is the past tense of ah?
The past tense of ah is ahed. The present participle is ahing.