English · Word Candidate

ay

/aɪ/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Ah! alas! Expressing anger, alarm, frustration, pain, etc.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

bày tỏ tức giận, cảnh báo, thất vọng, đau đớn, v.v.

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Interjection

Examples

And ſuch as yet, coulde neuer weapon wꝛeſt, / But on the lappe are woont to dandled be, / Ne yet foꝛgotten had the mothers bꝛeſt, / How greekes them ſlew, alas here ſhall ye ſe, / To make repoꝛte therof, ay woe is me, / My ſong is miſchiefe, murder miſerye.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Expressing earnestness, surprise, wonder, etc.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

bày tỏ sự chân thành, ngạc nhiên, kinh ngạc, v.v.

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Interjection

Examples

Ay my word! I am glad to see you.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

New Zealand spelling of eh (question tag).

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

dấu hỏi ở New Zealand

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Interjection

Examples

For example, New Zealanders tended to say "ay" at the end of sentences, but in the Asian community people used different tags to check whether people were still listening.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

All right (inter); hooray (inter); cool (inter).

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

được rồi, hooray, ổn

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Interjection

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “ay” mean?

Ah! alas! Expressing anger, alarm, frustration, pain, etc.

Is “ay” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

👁 Views 0 today 0 past 7 days 0 this month 0 all time