# aah

/ˈɑː/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/aah
Updated: 2026-05-02

## Senses

### 1. amazement or pleasure

interjection · CEFR B1 · Informal

you say this when you see something beautiful, impressive, or very cute.

For teachers: an exclamation of wonder, admiration, or satisfaction.

- Aah, look at that sunset over the ocean.
- Aah, this is exactly the kind of quiet retreat I needed after such a hectic semester.

### 2. sympathy

interjection · CEFR B1 · Informal

you say this to show you feel sorry for someone or understand their pain.

For teachers: an expression of pity, sympathy, or shared emotional pain.

- Aah, poor thing, did you hurt your knee?
- Aah, I am so sorry to hear about your cat; she was such a lovely companion.

### 4. to make the sound

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to make a sound of wonder or surprise.

For teachers: to utter the exclamation 'aah', typically in response to a spectacle or pleasant surprise.

- The crowd started to ooh and aah as the fireworks began.
- The tourists spent the afternoon oohing and aahing at the intricate gold leaf decorating the cathedral's ceiling.

### 5. the sound itself

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

the actual sound of someone saying 'aah'.

For teachers: the phonetic realisation of the exclamation, treated as a countable instance of speech.

- We heard an aah of delight when she opened her present.
- A collective aah rose from the audience as the magician finally revealed the hidden bird.

## Examples

- Aah, that feels so much better.
- Aah, now I see what you mean about the directions being confusing.
- Aah, so the entire plot was actually a dream sequence, which explains why the characters were behaving so strangely in the first act.

## Usage notes

- Often used as a standalone exclamation or to introduce a sentence; the meaning is heavily dependent on intonation and context.

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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.