ay

IPA/aɪ/
KK[ˈaɪ]IPA/aɪ/

ay — adverb

1. spoken on its own, usually before a sentence, as a short cry that lets out feeli

1.adverb
Definition

spoken on its own, usually before a sentence, as a short cry that lets out feelings such as sadness, shock, regret, or annoyance — for example, sighing 'Ay, what a pity!' on hearing bad news.

Example

"Ay, the poor child has lost her mother!" sighed old Mrs. Abbott.

exclamation expressing sadness or pity

"Ay, but the road home is long and dark," muttered the shepherd.

Ay, but … pattern showing regret or worry

Common collocations
  • ay me
  • ay, but
  • ay, what a
Synonyms
  • ah

    more common modern spelling for the same kind of soft, feeling-filled cry

  • alas

    stronger and more formal; specifically marks sorrow or regret

  • oh

    neutral exclamation that fits many emotions, while 'ay' leans toward sadness or surprise

Grammar Patterns

Ay, …!

Usage Note

Almost always sentence-initial and followed by a comma. Common in older poetry, plays, and folk speech rather than modern conversation; a present-day learner is more likely to read it than say it.

Common Mistakes

I ay agreed with him.
Ay, I agreed with him," he said.
'ay' is an exclamation that stands at the front of a sentence, not a verb or adverb that goes inside one.
She felt ay about the news.
She cried, "Ay, what sad news!
'ay' must be quoted speech, not a feeling that someone has.

2. a way of saying 'yes' that is used in old-fashioned or Scottish speech, by sailo

2.adverb
Definition

a way of saying 'yes' that is used in old-fashioned or Scottish speech, by sailors answering an order, and most often today in British and similar parliaments when members vote in favour — as in the call 'The ays have it.'

Example

"Ay, sir," the young sailor answered, and climbed back up to the mast.

nautical reply: 'Ay, sir' = yes to an order

When the Speaker called for the vote, twenty members shouted "Ay!" from the back benches.

parliamentary vote: shouted 'Ay!' for yes

Common collocations
  • the ays have it
  • ays and noes
  • ay, sir
  • ay, lass
Synonyms
  • yes

    the everyday word; 'ay' is its older or formal cousin

  • aye

    the much more common spelling of the same word, especially at sea and in Scottish use

  • yea

    old or formal alternative, also used in voting (yeas and nays)

Antonyms
  • no

    the plain opposite answer

  • nay

    the formal voting opposite, used in 'the nays have it'

Grammar Patterns

Ay!

Ay, sir.

the ays / ays and noes

Usage Note

Outside Scotland and seafaring talk, this sense survives mainly as a formal voting word: members of parliament shout 'Ay!' for yes and 'No!' against, and the chair announces 'The ays have it.' The plural-noun use ('the ays') only appears in this voting context.

Common Mistakes

I will say ay to your invitation.
I will say yes to your invitation.
in everyday modern English, use 'yes'; 'ay' sounds like a parliament vote or old Scottish speech.
The members voted ay the new law.
The members voted ay on the new law.' / 'The ays carried the new law.
'ay' is the answer itself, so it does not take a direct object.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/2

All four words say 'yes', but each fits a different setting. 'Yes' is the plain, everyday choice that works in any modern conversation. 'Aye' is the most common spelling of the older word; British and Scottish speakers still use it daily ('Aye, that's right'), and sailors answer orders with 'Aye, aye, sir.' 'Ay' is simply a less common spelling of 'aye' — you mostly meet it in old books and in the parliamentary phrase 'The ays have it.' 'Yea' is even more old-fashioned and survives in formal voting and biblical-sounding speech ('the yeas and nays'). So a Taiwanese learner answering a friend's question should pick 'yes'; a novelist setting a Scottish village scene might write 'Ay, lass'; and a news report on a Westminster vote will say 'The ays have it.'

ay ↗aye ↗yes ↗yea ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • the ays
  • ays and noes

Phrases

  • the ays have it
  • ay, sir
  • ay me

Prepositions

  • ay to (a motion)

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEarly Modern EnglishEnglish

First recorded in English in the late 1500s as a small word for agreement, 'ay' (also spelled 'aye') has an unclear origin. Some scholars link it to the old English word 'yea'; others connect it to a shortened form of 'I' used to say 'yes, I agree.' The exclamation use that shows feelings such as sadness or surprise is older still and grew naturally from the sound of a sigh. Today the spelling 'aye' is far more common, and 'ay' survives mainly in old texts, in Scottish speech, and in the formal voting phrase 'The ays have it.'