Er

ər

Meaning & Definition

noun

A suffix used to form the comparative degree of adjectives and adverbs.

She is taller than her brother.

A suffix used to denote a person who performs a specific action or is associated with a specific profession.

He is a teacher at the local school.

A slang term used to indicate hesitation, similar to 'um' or 'uh'.

I was thinking, er, maybe we should wait.

interjection

Used to express hesitation or uncertainty.

Er, I’m not sure if that’s the right answer.

Derived from the Middle English 'er', likely of imitative origin.

er, you know:

used to imply uncertainty or hesitation.

er, let me think:

an expression before taking time to consider.

er, can you repeat that?:

used to ask for something to be repeated during uncertainty.

a casual filler in conversation, indicating thought

I was, like, er, trying to figure it out.

to signal a mistake or recall an error in context

Er, I meant to say it was great!