What does hollo mean?
Hollo is an attention cry that may be used to greet someone, call for help, signal one's presence, or express surprise. It can also function as a noun for a loud call or as a verb meaning to shout "hollo." The word is now uncommon in ordinary contemporary English, but it retains a traditional, literary, or regional character that gives it a vivid and somewhat theatrical quality. Its older sense of a cry used to make oneself heard from a distance was especially useful before modern means of communication, when a shouted call could cross a field, courtyard, or valley. Although "holla" and "hello" are more familiar in modern usage, "hollo" survives in established expressions such as "hollo there" and in descriptions of old-fashioned calls across open country. It is therefore a useful word for readers seeking older, more expressive forms of greeting and exclamation.
An exclamation used to attract attention, greet someone, or express surprise.
""Hollo! Have you seen the road ahead?""
Old-fashioned and uncommon in modern standard English.
A loud cry or shout made to attract attention.
"The answer came in the form of a distant hollo."
Chiefly literary or archaic.
To cry or shout as a means of attracting attention.
"They holloed across the field until someone answered."
Usually intransitive and now uncommon in standard English.
Hollo belongs to a family of attention cries that once summoned companions across fields and courtyards long before telephone calls existed.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hollo come from?
The word belongs to a group of European forms meaning roughly "ahoy" or "stop there." English "hollo" developed as a variant of "holla," while related forms include French holà and Spanish holá. The historical forms preserve the broad vowel sound of their source languages and are associated with cries used to attract attention or halt someone.
Related word forms
How hollo is actually used
Hollo is uncommon in contemporary standard English and has a distinctly old-fashioned, literary, or regional tone. The expression "hollo there" is the most recognizable modern use, often imitating a traditional call of greeting.
Easily confused with hollo
Holla is the more commonly attested modern spelling, whereas hollo is a less common variant with the same exclamation and shouting senses.
Hello is a standard modern greeting, while hollo is an older or literary attention cry that can also mean a shout.