Aye Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms aye American [ahy] / aɪ /

adverb

1. yes.

noun

1. an affirmative vote or voter, especially in British Parliament, corresponding to yea in U.S. Congress.

aye 1 British / aɪ /

1. yes: archaic or dialectal except in voting by voice

2. 1. an expression of compliance, esp used by seamen

   2. an expression of amused surprise, esp at encountering something that confirms one's suspicions, expectations, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

1. 1. a person who votes in the affirmative

   2. an affirmative vote

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 aye 2 British / əɪ /

adverb

1. always; still

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of aye

First recorded in 1570–80; earlier spelling I, of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Aye, it’s a proper horror. A distant ancestor of ours; I think my father said he was Belgian. But the house and its contents were never the point. The point”—and his eyes ran over Christopher like a bus—“is the land outside the house.”

From Literature

“Aye. But, you know—feel no need to wear it.”

From Literature

“Aye. So. I see that an explanation has become necessary.”

From Literature

“Aye. And everywhere else in the world the creatures died out, as we hunted them to extinction. As the next thousands of years passed, we forgot, slowly, that once the world had been lit by the shining of a unicorn, or the dragon’s fire—and we came to believe that the true accounts we had were myth. Just children’s stories. Nothing important. We’re a forgetful people, humanity.”

From Literature

“Unicorns, aye. There are huge herds—in the thousands—on the island of Ceretos, and on Atidina and Lithia.”

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.