variants or or less commonly woops
used typically to express mild apology, surprise, or dismay

Examples of oops in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But when her paramour and his (oops) wife turn up dead, Vera ends up at the center of a murder investigation and eventually something far more sinister. The Editors, Town & Country, 1 Dec. 2022 Before anybody gets carried away here — oops, too late? Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 6 Oct. 2020 That gives Facebook and Oculus a great opportunity to announce in the very near future that—oops, whaddya know—they've stopped producing all existing hardware. Sam MacHkovech, Ars Technica, 20 Aug. 2020 Justin Timberlake, Jimmy Fallon, and Jessica Biel Casually Broke into a House While on Vacation Uh, oops? Bridget Dufour, Marie Claire, 26 July 2017 Only three even had the Cavs in the Finals, the same as had -- oops -- Toronto. Bill Livingston, cleveland.com, 8 May 2017 Oops. Melinda Henneberger is a Star opinion page writer. Melinda Henneberger, kansascity, 12 May 2017 The expansion comes as a result of Chocolate Lab’s neighboring business not paying its taxes (oops!). Allyson Reedy, The Know, 26 Apr. 2017 The main character is a fun horse that continues to live at the end of the story (oops, spoiler alert!). Karen Chee, The New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'oops.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of oops was in 1911

Dictionary Entries Near oops

Cite this Entry

“Oops.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oops. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

oops

interjection
variants or whoops
ˈ(w)u̇(ə)ps
used to express mild apology, surprise, or distress (as at spilling something or saying the wrong thing)

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