Bah Definition & Meaning

American

British

Examples

bah American [bah, ba] / bɑ, bæ /

interjection

1. (an exclamation of contempt or annoyance).

   Bah! Humbug!

bah British / bɑː, bæ /

interjection

1. an expression of contempt or disgust

"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

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.

At specific moments, they were asked to imagine saying either 'bah' or 'bih' silently in their minds while hearing one of those same sounds played aloud.

From Science Daily

Other times, the outcome is far more dire, like the pair of 2023 “bah humbug!” boots that were “Spirited” and “A Christmas Karen.”

From Salon

“Officer’s wives, bah! Not one kopek is to be spent on clothes, do you hear me?”

From Literature

If holiday clutter has you more bah humbug than merry, these tips from professional organizers around Seattle might make your life easier before and after the holidays, and well into the new year.

From Seattle Times

Yet, Jefferson — like Monk himself and Everett before them — is clued into the big catch: It’s impossible to write about not wanting to write about race without, bah, writing about race.

From New York Times

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.