ey up
Greeting — "hello" / "what's up?" Quintessentially Yorkshire/Northern.
Seen in the wild
ey up, we're playing in dublin on saturday to fundraise for the families of the ulm 5 to stay in germany for their trial
"EY UP, THAT MAN SAID WE CAN CROSS NOW" said the blind person, being both unexpectedly loud and also unexpectedly northern. And reminding me that I really should consider voice training.
"Ay up", sometimes written as "ayup", "ey up", "eh up" and even "aye up", could originate from an old Norse term meaning "watch out", she says.
Definitions
Greeting — "hello" / "what's up?" Quintessentially Yorkshire/Northern. "Ey up, lad."
“ey up, we're playing in dublin on saturday to fundraise for the families of the ulm 5 to stay in germany for their trial”
“"EY UP, THAT MAN SAID WE CAN CROSS NOW" said the blind person, being both unexpectedly loud and also unexpectedly northern. And reminding me that I really should consider voice training.”
“ey up, we're playing in dublin on saturday to fundraise for the families of the ulm 5 to stay in germany for their trial”
— Bluesky· May 2026“"EY UP, THAT MAN SAID WE CAN CROSS NOW" said the blind person, being both unexpectedly loud and also unexpectedly northern. And reminding me that I really should consider voice training.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“"Ay up", sometimes written as "ayup", "ey up", "eh up" and even "aye up", could originate from an old Norse term meaning "watch out", she says.”
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Show 2 more dictionary-style senses (imported)
Expressing Joy. "Eyup! Am ryte chuffed at yer' football teams' victory!"
Comments
Look at that!, take notice of that!
"ey up" means look at that!, take notice of that!. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
"ey up" is informal English meaning look at that!, take notice of that!. It is used widely across English varieties. A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like "look at that!" expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to assume "ey up" can replace its standard equivalent in every register; keep it for spoken or casual situations and use the formal form in writing. If you are a B2 or C1 learner, it is useful to recognise this word when you hear or read it, but think carefully about whether the situation really calls for it before using it yourself.
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UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
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- we aye63%
A Geordie expression meaning 'yes, of course' or 'absolutely' — a firm, enthusiastic affirmative straight from the northeast of England. Geordie is the dialect spoken in and around Newcastle upon Tyne, and 'we aye' (sometimes written 'wey aye') is one of its most recognisable exports. It's emphatic and warm, not just saying yes but saying yes with conviction. If a Geordie says 'we aye,' there's zero ambiguity — they're absolutely on board.
- yerrr62%
NYC / tri-state greeting — a drawn-out "yeah" that doubles as "hello," "hell yeah," and "pay attention." Deployed with full-body commitment: pointed finger, open hand, voice projected across a bodega line. The East Coast equivalent of "yo, what's good."
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(Geordie) A positive yes, of course.
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(Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ottawa Valley, colloquial) Hi, hello.