huh

Attested from circa 1600.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /hʌ/, [hʌ̃]
• (General American) IPA^(key): /hə/, [hə̃]

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• Rhymes: -ʌ

huh

1. (with falling pitch) used to express amusement or subtle surprise.

   Huh! I'm sure I locked it when I left.

2. Used to express doubt or confusion.

   Huh? Where did they go?

3. (with rising pitch) Used to reinforce a question.

   Where were you last night? Huh?

4. (slang, with falling pitch) Used either to belittle the issuer of a statement/question, or sarcastically to indicate utter agreement, and that the statement being responded to is an extreme understatement. The intonation is changed to distinguish between the two meanings - implied dullness for belittlement, and feigned surprise for utter agreement.

   (belittlement) A:"We should go to an amusement park, it would be fun." B:"Huh."

   (agreement) A:"Murder is bad." B:"Huh!"

5. (informal, with rising pitch) Used to indicate that one did not hear what was said.

   Huh? Could you speak up?

6. (informal, with falling pitch) Used to create a tag question.

   It's getting kind of late, huh?

• (to indicate that one didn't hear): come again, pardon, what; see also Thesaurus:say again

• “huh”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.

• uhh

• hiech, hieh (western Moselle Franconian)

From Old High German hōh, from Proto-Germanic *hauhaz.

• IPA^(key): /huː/

huh (masculine huhe, feminine huh, comparative hüher or hühter or hieher, superlative et' hühste or hüchste or hühtste or hiehtste)

1. (Ripuarian, eastern Moselle Franconian) high; tall

• The comparation forms with -ü- are Ripuarian, those with -ie- are Moselle Franconian.

• IPA^(key): /ˈhuh/, [ˈhuh]

huh

1. phew (used to show relief, fatigue, or surprise)