OOF: Here's What This Expression Means | Usage & Examples

You can say “oof” if something painful or embarrassing happens to you or someone else ... SkiptoContent Languageisanamorphouscreature;everygenerationaddsnewwords,letsgoofoldones,andoccasionallychangesthegrammar.Asamatteroffact,thingscangetsoconfusingthatoldergenerationsgetbefuddledbyalltheslangandtermsthatpopuparoundthem.Takeforexamplethisguy: Anthonytweeted:“yowhatthe****does“oof”meanI’m40yearsoldI’mtoooldformemes” Speakingofwhich,onewordthathasfounditswayintotoday’sconversationis“oof,”awordsoversatilethatitcantakemanymeanings,fromanexpressionofamazementandpleasureallthewaytoanexpressionofpain. Interestingly,wordsthatcanmeanonething,aswellasitsopposite,arecalledcontronyms,Januswords,orauto-antonyms. Contronymscanonlybeunderstoodfromthecontextwithinwhichtheyareused,whichisthecasewiththeword“oof”).   Whatisthetruemeaningof“oof”? “Oof”canbeusedinoneofthreeways:asagutturalsoundthatisusedtoexpresswiderangeofemotions(whichiswhenthewordisusedasanonomatopoeia),asanacronymforaphraselikeoutofoffice,andasanactualwordthatcanmeanmoney,wolf,oraridsoil(eventhoughmostofthosedefinitionsarearchaicandnolongerinuse).Ofthethree,themostcommonusageiswhen“oof”referstohowshockedorsurprisedyouarebyacertainactionorevent.   Themanyfacetsof“oof” Well,itreallydependsonwhoyouask,andbecause“oof”issuchamalleableword,rarelywillyoufindtwopeoplewhoagreeentirelyonwhatthatwordmeans. Nevertheless,thereissomeagreementonthebroadstrokes.Forstarters,“oof”isanexclamatorywordusedwhensomethingoutoftheordinaryhappens,especiallywhenthatthingissoshockingthatitalmostfeelslikeapsychologicalpunchtothestomach,asortofwake-upcall. Thisthingcouldbegoodorbad,andtheword“oof”wouldstillbeapplicable. See?That’sreallybroad,isn’tit? What’smore,theword“oof”hasseepedintomodernpopculturetosuchadegreethatithasnowbecomeapartofothermemes.Forexample,arecentmemethatwascirculatingonTwitter,onethatcombinedsoftblockingwithcancelculture,startedoffwiththewords“oof”and“Yikes.” (Ifyou’rewonderingwhatsoftblockingorcancelcultureis,don’tworry.Ididn’teither.Basically,softblockingisblockingthenunblockingsomeoneonsocialmediatocausethemtounfollowyou,whilecancelcultureisaboutblockingsomeoneforpastmistakestheymighthavemade,likewhathappenedwithKevinHartandtheOscars.) Togetabetterhandleonwhat“oof”means,let’slookatafewspecificusages:   Differentmeaningoftheword“oof”: Youcouldusethewordifyouseesomeonegettingasickburn,andratherthansaying“ooohburn!”youcouldsay“oof.” AnexampleofanonlineconversationIfound:   “Greg:Afteralongstressfuldayatwork,Ineedsomesleep.God,Iamtired. Emily:DidyouknowthatatCornellUniversitytheyhaveanincrediblepieceofscientificequipmentknownasthetunnelingelectronmicroscope?Now,thismicroscopeissopowerfulthatbyfiringelectrons,youcanactuallyseeimagesoftheatom,theinfinitesimallyminutebuildingblocksofouruniverse.IfIwereusingthatmicroscoperightnow,Istillwouldn’tbeabletolocatemyinterestinyourproblem. Mark:Oof.”   Youcanalsouse“oof”whensomethingfunnyhappenstoyouortosomeoneyouknow.Forinstance,thenexttimeyouwatchsomeonefallface-firstontheflooron“America’sFunniestHomeVideos,”saying“oof”wouldbeanappropriatereaction. Youcansay“oof”ifsomethingpainfulorembarrassinghappenstoyouorsomeoneelse,inwhichcasethewordisusedinamoreempatheticwayinsteadoftodemonstratemeresurprise.What’smore,thepaindoesn’thavetobephysical;itcouldbeemotionalorevenvirtual. Forexample,ifyouareplayinganonlinegameandhaveinvestedconsiderabletimeinyourcharacter,andthenyourcharacterdiesforsomereasonandalltheeffortandtimeyouinvestedgoesdownthedrain,theword“oof”wouldbecompletelyfinehere. Occasionally,somepeoplelogontotheinternetjusttosaytheword“oof”andthenlogoff.Itcanbethatsimple. So,don’tbeafraidtologontoYoutube,findoneofyourfavoritevideos,comment“oof,”andthenvanishintothenight. Alternatively,youcanuse“oof”whenyouwanttoshowpleasure,excitement,orplainarousal.Forinstance,ifyou’resittinginarestaurant,andadelicious,juicyburgerisplacedinfrontofyou,youcansay“oof,”particularlyifyouareveryhungry. Anotherscenarioisifyouseeanexceptionallyattractiveindividualpassby. Sometimes,theword“oof”canbeusedtoindicaterelief.Forexample,ifyouhavebeenstressedwhilewaitingforsometestresults,andthoseresultscomebackbetterthanyouhadexpected,youcanexpressyourreliefbysaying“oof.” (What’sfunnyisthatevenifthetestresultscomebackworsethanyouhadfeared,youcouldstillsay“oof,”anditwillstillmakeperfectsense.Theonlydifferenceisthatitwillmeansomethingentirelydifferentinthissecondcase.) Youcanuse“oof”whenyouarefeelingannoyedbysomethingorsomeone.   Hereisanexample:   Garry:Oof,thisistheseventhtimethatthispersonhascalledmeonmyphone,andIkeeprejectingthecalleverytime.Ijustdon’twanttotalktothem.   Ifyouseesomethingsostartlingthatatfirst,youhaveahardtimeunderstandingit,youcanuse“oof”asintosay,“Woah,that’scrazy!” Forexample: Imaginethatyouarewatchingahotdogeatingcompetition,andonecontestanthasmanagedtogobbledownmorethan90hotdogsandwiches.Inthisscenario,you’dbeentirelyjustifiedinlettingoutan“oof.” Youcansay“oof”whenyoumessup.Forexample,ifyouarecarryingahotplateacrosstheroomanditaccidentallyspillsandfallsontheground,youcanreactbysaying“oof.” Bynow,youshouldhaveageneralsenseofhowtheword“oof”isusedineverydaysituations,butthemostimportantthingtorememberisthatitisalwayscontextual:“Oof”hassomanymeaningsthatthecontextgivesmoredefinitionthantheworditself. Ifallthisseemsoverwhelming,trustme,you’renotalone. In1962,anartistbythenameofEdRuschaproducedapaintingwithonewordonit:“OOF.” Theideabehindthepaintingistoplaywiththealmostnonsensicalnatureoftheword,itsonomatopoeicnature,anditsvisualimpact.Theideaistojuxtaposeawordtheartisttookfrompopculturewithdifferentadvertisingtechniques,includingbrandlogos. Theendresultisapaintingthatexploreswhatwordsactuallymeanandwheretheboundariesofartendandthoseofcommercialismbegin.Ifyouareintothissortofthing,youcanfindRuschan’spaintingintheMuseumofModernArtinNewYorkCity.   Wheredoestheword“oof”comefrom? Justlikethedefinitionoftheword,nooneseemstoagreeonwhere“oof”comesfrom.Thatsaid,therearesometheoriesoutthere:   Theword“oof”comesfromthegameRoblox Oneofthemostpopulartheoriesoutthereisthatthewordfounditswayintotoday’slanguagethankstothegameRoblox. Forthoseofyouwhodon’tknowwhatRobloxis(whichincludedmebeforeresearchingthisarticle),thisisabriefdescription: So,Robloxisthisonline3Dgamethatallowsplayerstocreateboththeirowncharactersaswellastheirowngames,andotherplayersgettoplaythesegames. What’smore,userscanbuildtheirownworldsandlaunchtheirownRobloxgame.Inessence,youcanthinkofitasagamingplatform. Atsomepoint,Robloxbecamesuperpopularwiththeyoungerdemographic-we’retalkingyoungteenshere-andturnedintoaculturalphenomenonforthem. WhenacharacterdiesinRoblox,alsoknownasaRobloxian,theymakethat“oof”sound,whichiswhythewordbecamesopopularlateron.Afterall,theinternethasahabitofmakingmemesoutofanythingitcangetitshandson. Asaresultofthis,someonlineplayershavegottenintothehabitofsaying“oof”everytimetheircharacterdies,sortofareferencetoRoblox. Onaninterestingsidenote,itispossiblethateventhoughRobloxpopularizedthesound,itwasn’titscreator;theoneclaimingthatcreditisTommyTallarico,whonotonlyassertsthatheownstherightstothe“oof”soundbutisalsoplanningontalkingtoRobloxaboutsomeformofcompensationfortheusageofthesound. AccordingtoTallarico,Robloxtookthesoundfromthegamehelaunchedbackin2000calledMessiah.   Theword“oof”isanonomatopoeia Anotherpopulartheoryisthat“oof”isnothingmorethananonomatopoeia. Anonomatopoeiaisawordthatsoundslikethesounditdescribes. Forexample,thewordsizzlereferstothesoundyourfoodmakesasyou’recookingitonapan,buttheworditselfalsosoundslikeit. Todrivethepointhome,hereareotherexamples: Slam,splash,bam,gurgle,belch,andmumble. Well,“oof”alsofallsintothiscategory:Itisthesoundsomeonemakeswhentheygetpunchedinthestomach,causingtheairtorushouttheirnoseandmouth. Thisisfittingbecause,aswesaidearlier,“oof”isusedtopunctuateanyeventoractionthatgivestheeffectofbeingpunchedinthegut,beitaphysicalpunchorapsychologicalone.   Therearemultiplepossiblelinguisticoriginsoftheword“oof” Fromanetymologicalperspective,therearemanylikelycandidatesthatexplainwhere“oof”comesfrom.Somepeopleassociate“oof”withexasperationandbelievethatitcamefrom“Uff-da,”whichisScandinavian. Othersassertthat“oof”cametousfrom19thcenturyEnglishandwasusedtosympathizewithpeoplewhoweregoingthroughhardtimes. Thisisn’tasfarfetchedasitsoundsasthefirstrecordedusageofthewordinEnglishwasinthemid19thcentury.   Does“oof”haveanyothermeanings? Sofar,we’vecoveredthebasicmeaningsof“oof,”theonesyou’veprobablycomeacrossmorethanonce.However,likeallwordsthatareniceandeasytopronounce,“oof”hasalonghistoryinmanydifferentlanguages.   “Oof”wasusedtorefertomoney Inlate19thcenturyYiddish,“oyf”meantonand“tish”meanttable,whichwhenputtogethermeant“onthetable”andreferredto“moneyingambling.”Fromhere,theword“oof”cametobepartofBritishslangandusedasaninformalsymbolformoneyandcash.So,usingthatformof“oof”inasentence,youcouldsaysomethinglikethis: He’sgotsomuchoofthatitwouldalmostbeimpossibleforhimtospenditallinonelifetime. Whentracingbacktheusageoftheword“oof”torefertomoney,wewillfindthatitwasusednumeroustimesduringtheOsbornetrial,whichtookplacein1892.Itwouldbefairtoassumethattheword“oof”hadbeeninuseforafewdecadesbeforethetrial. Anothercurioususageof“oof”comesintheformofthephrase“oofbird,”whichreferstoanimaginaryproviderofwealth.ThisphrasewasprobablyusedjokinglyandcameaboutasaresultoftheFrenchwordforegg:oeuf.Theideaisthatthephrasealludestothebirdthatcanlayagoldenegg. Additionally,“oof”appearsinseveraloldtexts.Forinstance,in“ColonelQuaritch”byH.RiderHaggard,thereisapassageonpage232whereacharacternamedJohnniesays,“soQuestishisname,isit,andhelivesinacitycalledBoisingham,doeshe?Isheanoofbird?” In“BurlingtonBertie,”asongbyHarryNorris,there’saversethatgoesasfollows:   BurlingtonBertie’sthelatestyoungjay HerentsaswellflatsomewhereKensingtonway Hespendsthegoodoofthathispatermade AlongwiththeBrandyandSodaBrigade   TheScottshadseveralusesfortheword“oof” AccordingtotheScottishNationalDictionary,oofhashadmanyusesdatingbacktothe1700s: Theword“oof”hasbeenusedtorefertowolves. ”Oof”wasalsousedasanountorefertotheangler-fish. ”Oof”functionedasaverbthatmeanttobeacidorsour,particularlywhentalkingaboutsoilthatkillsplantsbeforetheyhaveachancetogrow. Whentalkingaboutgraincrops,“oof”wasusedasaverbtosaythatthecropwasgrowingrankwithleavesyetitproducednoseed-heads. “Oof”alsofunctionedasanadjectivethatwasusedtodescribeapatchofsourandacidicsoilthatinhibitsplantsfromgrowingpopularly.   ”Oof”asanacronym Notonlydoes“oof”haveseveralmeanings,severalofwhichareoutdatedandnolongerinuse,butitisalsousedasthebasisformultipleacronyms,plentyofwhicharestillinusetoday. Forinstance,onsocialmedia,“oof”isusedtodenoteOutofOffice,whereaswithinlegalcircles,“oof”meansorderofforfeiture. Hereareafewotherexamplesyoumayrunintowhiletexting: ObjectOrientedFiltering Openofficeformula Outoffiber Outorientedformula Outoffocus Outofframe Otherofficialflows Outoffacility Objectorientedfortran Objectorientedframework Out-of-officefeature Outoffunding Optionsonfutures Outoffreeze Objectoffunctionality Despite“oof”beinganacronymforalltheaboveexpressions,themostcommonusageinthisregardistorelaytosomeonethatyouareoutofoffice.   MarcelIseliHeyfellowLinguaholics!It’sme,Marcel.Iamtheproudowneroflinguaholic.com.LanguageshavealwaysbeenmypassionandIhavestudiedLinguistics,ComputationalLinguisticsandSinologyattheUniversityofZurich.ItismyutmostpleasuretosharewithallofyouguyswhatIknowaboutlanguagesandlinguisticsingeneral. Postnavigation BunproReview:JapaneseGrammarMadeEasy?Here’sHowManyKanjiYouNeedtoKnowtoBeFluent TopPostsTheManyMeaningsof“(Korean)CrowTit”DEMYSTIFIEDWhatisTheMeaningof/s?