English · Word Candidate

ay

/aɪ/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Sense 1

Meaning · English

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

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

Meaning · English

Expressing earnestness, surprise, wonder, etc.

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

Meaning · English

New Zealand spelling of eh (question tag).

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

Meaning · English

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

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.