ow
gb/ˈaʊ/ us/ˈaʊ/
A1
English
jaj, au, jajkiáltás
A1
INFORMAL
1
Usage pattern:
Ow! / Ow, [body part]!
Ow! I just hit my elbow on the doorframe.
Jaj! Most ütöttem be a könyökömet az ajtófélfába.
Ow, my ankle—something just twisted.
Jaj, a bokám – valami megrándult benne.
Ow, that’s hot; I burned my tongue.
Learner examples
Ow! That hurts.
Jaj! Ez fáj.
Ow, my hand!
Jaj, a kezem!
Common mistake:
Do not confuse with “owe” (/oʊ/), which means ‘to have to pay’ or ‘to be in debt.’
Meaning
exclamation of sudden pain
Collocations
Ow!
|Ow, my arm!
|Ow, my head!
|Ow, that hurt!
|Ow—watch it!
|Ow, careful!
|Ow, stop!
|Ow, you stepped on my foot!
Synonyms
ouch (The most common equivalent exclamation of pain.)
|
oww (A stretched spelling often used online to show longer pain.)
Themes
body
|health
|emotions
|daily_life
Definition
You say “Ow!” when you feel pain.
Used to express sudden physical pain, often when something hurts unexpectedly.
NOUN
B1
INFORMAL
2
jajkiáltás
B2
Usage pattern:
an ow / an ow of pain
He let out an ow and pulled his finger away from the pin.
Egy „jaj!”-t hallatott, és elrántotta az ujját a tűtől.
A small ow came from the next room as the child bumped into the table.
Halk jajkiáltás hallatszott a szomszéd szobából, amikor a gyerek nekiment az asztalnak.
I heard an ow behind me and turned around to see what happened.
Learner examples
I heard an ow from the kitchen.
Jajkiáltást hallottam a konyhából.
Common mistake:
In writing, this is less common than using the interjection directly (e.g., writing “Ow!”).
Meaning
a cry of pain
Collocations
an ow of pain
|a sudden ow
|let out an ow
|a loud ow
|a little ow
|hear an ow
|with an ow
Synonyms
yelp (A sharper, often higher-pitched cry of pain or surprise.)
|
cry (A general word for a sound showing pain.)
Themes
language
|emotions
|daily_life
Definition
An “ow” is the sound you make when something hurts.
A spoken or written cry of pain, typically represented by the word “ow.”
Grammar
Dictionary form
ow
IPA
GB/ˈaʊ/
US/ˈaʊ/
Syllables & stress
ow (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (ow)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: ow
- Plural: ows
Word family
Forms
ows
noun
Related words
ouch
interjection
owie
noun
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.