Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • interjection Used as a greeting or to attract someone's attention.
  • interjection Used to express emphasis.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • A dialectal variant of you.
  • An exclamation noting effort: usually joined with ho or O.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • phrase African American Vernacular contraction of you and are
  • pronoun colloquial shortened form of your.
  • pronoun third-person singular, familiar
  • interjection slang A greeting similar to hi.
  • interjection slang An interjection similar to hey.
  • interjection military slang Present! Here!

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From you're, your, etc.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English yo, io, ȝo, yeo, yaw, variant forms of Middle English ya, ye ("yes, yea"), from Old English ġēa ("yes, yea"). Compare Danish, Swedish, Norwegian jo ("yes"). More at yea.

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Examples

  • I reckons yo 'ain' got _yo'_ horses trained like we-all back yonder got _ours_.

    Peggy Stewart at School

  • "Is yo 'goin' back on yo 'gibben word -- _yo'_ -- a Newton?"

    The Lost Despatch Natalie Sumner Lincoln 1908

  • I'll not fight yo, but I'll flog yo -- _flog yo_ -- d 'yo hear?'

    The History of David Grieve Humphry Ward 1885

  • "_Yo ka pensé toutt lanmizè yo, -- toutt lapeine yo_," I was answered.

    Two Years in the French West Indies Lafcadio Hearn 1877

  • Den he must bresh his clothes wid yo 'bresh -- _yo'_ bresh, mind you!

    Colonel Carter's Christmas and The Romance of an Old-Fashioned Gentleman Francis Hopkinson Smith 1876

  • And thus Avishing yo "all happy and gspous success Avee end & rest; yo*" assured lo: freinds the GoQno ''

    Suffolk deeds 1653

  • -- an 'Mester Wharton, he says he'll tak' the post, an 'dea his best for yo -- an', remember, _yo mun have a gentleman_!

    Marcella Humphry Ward 1885

  • I'm the one to trust (yeah) We belong together Ne nun eul bwa yo OH gu de man eul mi du bol le yo Me eel hon ja su ool gi man ha ne yo Nuh moo na go ma oon gul yo OOH BABY BABY nal ahn ah hu yo Ee de ro yung wun hee ham ke he yo (WE BELONG TOGETHER, UH) Ji chin gu de ne ge gi de do dwe yo Un je na gu del sa rang hal le yo~ (LET'S GO!)

    WN.com - Business News 2010

  • yo ah yo ah yo ah yo~! your kan zehzeh ish lao ah lians ahr?! ai yo mai yo ai yo~

    www.hardwarezone.com.sg 2010

  • yo ah yo ah yo ah yo~! your kan zehzeh ish lao ah lians ahr?! ai yo mai yo ai yo~

    www.hardwarezone.com.sg 2010

Comments

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  • A yo is half a yo-yo.

    December 5, 2006

  • A term of endearment in Philadelphia.

    November 2, 2007

  • Got that right! Or something you yell at someone who's just about to hit your car. Or to someone you recognize on the street. Or to the soft pretzel vendor. Or to...well, you get the idea. :-)

    November 2, 2007

  • Awesome comments. :P

    July 31, 2008

  • Pimpin'.

    March 13, 2009

  • fun fact--"yo" originates from the 15th century!

    April 21, 2009

  • Us New Yorkers say this all the time. I used to think it was the British exclaimation, "oi!" pronounced backwards and refined. Scary thought- in 50 years, people will be using "lol" as an acceptable 3 letter word for Scrabble.

    January 23, 2010

  • Philadelphians are fond of it as well. Haven't lived there since I was young but I keep it up out of nostalgia.

    January 23, 2010