Has somebody responded to your message with “oof?” Or possibly you’ve seen the identical “oof” sound clip in a number of YouTube movies? Right here’s what this phrase means and why it’s one of the crucial in style phrases on the web these days.
The Web’s “Um”
So that you may need seen individuals use “oof” all around the web these days, and with seemingly little motive. Not like another web phrases we’ve lined, the time period isn’t an acronym and even an actual, definable phrase. Individuals primarily take into account it a filler time period—a response once they can’t discover something higher to say to somebody.
What “oof” means relies upon closely on the context. You should use the phrase negatively: for instance, somebody tells you that they’re presently having a tough time with math homework. You may reply with “oof” to sign that you simply sympathize with what they’re going by means of. Alternatively, you should utilize it positively. Should you inform somebody, “oof, that’s wonderful,” then you definitely’re signaling that you simply’re in awe of the size of their accomplishment.
Many individuals additionally use “oof” like an expletive, as its that means may be synonymous with “rattling” or “f***” in some contexts. It may be a manner for individuals to swear with out truly typing in or saying a swear phrase out loud. That’s why you’ll generally hear this time period amongst family-friendly YouTube channels and Twitch streamers. You may additionally hear it as an all-encompassing substitute for phrases like “wow,” “yikes,” or “ouch,” that are widespread reactions to different individuals’s messages.
Rising in Roblox
The place precisely did “oof” come from? The phrase “oof” has been round for a really very long time, considerably predating its present use on the web. In truth, Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, which defines oof as “expressing discomfort, shock, or dismay,” estimates that the phrase’s first use was all the way in which again in 1777. “Oof” can be thought of an onomatopoeia, with it being a sound that you simply make whenever you “get the wind knocked out of you” or get abruptly hit within the stomach.
Nonetheless, oof roared again to life within the late 2010s due to the favored on-line sport platform Roblox. When gamers would die within the sport, they might make a noise that appears like “oof.” This audio was coined the “Roblox Loss of life Sound.” This sound clip was a meme, being inserted into varied movies and compilations at any time when individuals failed at one thing, knocked into bodily objects.
Ultimately, the time period “oof” grew to become a meme by itself, turning right into a staple of web vocabulary for a whole technology of gamers — even when nobody can agree on its precise definition. Should you take a look at the entries for “oof” on City Dictionary, you’ll discover that a lot of the extremely upvoted definitions appear to contradict one another. Some declare that oof is for whenever you don’t care about one thing; others say it’s for whenever you really feel one thing very strongly.
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“Large Oof”
Like different meme phrases, “oof” has impressed loads of spin-offs. Essentially the most notable derivation is “huge oof,” which, in contrast to “oof,” has a set of extensively accepted definitions on websites like City Dictionary.
The primary definition is that “huge oof” is a response to a regrettable incident, whether or not it’s one thing that occurred to you or another person. On this context, it’s synonymous with phrases like “that sucks” or “that’s horrible” and may typically convey a sympathetic tone on the web.
Alternatively, “huge oof” is usually a response to a web based feud, significantly when one get together completely defeats the opposite. These incidents are generally referred to on the web as “savagery,” and calling one thing a “huge oof” is a typical response.
Checklist of “Oof” Meanings
Confused? So are we. Since oof has so many potential meanings, we’ve narrowed it all the way down to a helpful checklist that you should utilize under:
- A filler phrase, much like “um” or “okay.”
- An expletive, performing in the identical manner as “f***” or “d***” in response to one thing.
- A way of telling somebody that you simply really feel very unhealthy or superb about their present scenario.
- Noticing a mistake or recognizing your individual mistake.
- Expressing bodily tiredness or exhaustion. As in, “Oof, that was exhausting.”
- A method of telling somebody that you simply’re extremely impressed.
- Signaling to somebody that you simply’re uncomfortable with one thing that they simply stated. This utilization is synonymous with “yikes.”
What’s uncommon about “oof” is its means to make sense, even when it doesn’t make sense. When you’ve seen or heard the time period a number of occasions, you possibly can seemingly choose up on context clues to determine which definition the individual is utilizing for the time being. Should you resolve to make use of oof in your vocabulary, be at liberty to make use of any of the definitions above.
Should you’re serious about studying extra uncommon web slang phrases, take a look at our items on SRSLY, FML, and OTP. You’ll be an online converse savant very quickly.
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