# ye gods

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/ye-gods
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Used to express surprise or incredulity.

## Examples

- Ye gods, that is a huge spider.
- Ye gods, I cannot believe you actually finished that entire project in one night.
- Ye gods, the sheer scale of the destruction left behind by the storm was truly difficult to comprehend.

## Origin

Attested since the seventeenth century, the expression is probably a British variant of the exclamation oh my God. The pluralisation of the deity was likely intended to avoid direct blasphemy, shifting the address away from the singular God of scripture to a more general, pagan assembly. The phrasing finds a parallel in the Danish I guder. (disputed)

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.