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  • mo
    mo
    noun
  • Mo
    Mo
    molybdenum.
  • MO
    MO
    abbreviation
    method of operation.
  • -mo
    -mo
    a suffix occurring in a series of compounds that describe book sizes according to the number of leaves formed by the folding of a single sheet of paper.
  • mo.
    mo.
    abbreviation
    month.
  • Mo.
    Mo.
    abbreviation
    Missouri.
  • m.o.
    m.o.
    abbreviation
    mail order.
  • M.O.
    M.O.
    abbreviation
    mail order.
Synonyms

mo

1 American  
[moh] / moʊ /

noun

Informal.
  1. moment.


Mo 2 American  
Symbol, Chemistry.
  1. molybdenum.


MO 3 American  

abbreviation

  1. method of operation.

  2. Missouri (approved especially for use with zip code).

  3. mode of operation.

  4. modus operandi.


-mo 4 American  
  1. a suffix occurring in a series of compounds that describe book sizes according to the number of leaves formed by the folding of a single sheet of paper.

    sixteenmo.


mo. 5 American  

abbreviation

  • mos
    plural
  1. month.

  2. months.


Mo. 6 American  

abbreviation

  1. Missouri.

  2. Monday.


m.o. 7 American  

abbreviation

  1. mail order.

  2. modus operandi.

  3. money order.


M.O. 8 American  

abbreviation

  1. mail order.

  2. manually operated.

  3. Medical Officer.

  4. method of operation.

  5. mode of operation.

  6. modus operandi.

  7. money order.


MO 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. Missouri

  2. Medical Officer

  3. modus operandi

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

mo 2 British  
/ məʊ /

noun

  1. short for moment

  2. short for moustache

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

m.o. 3 British  

abbreviation

  1. mail order

  2. money order

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Mo 4 British  

symbol

  1. molybdenum

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Mo. 5 British  

abbreviation

  1. Missouri

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

-mo 6 British  

suffix

  1. (in bookbinding) indicating book size by specifying the number of leaves formed by folding one sheet of paper

    12mo, twelvemo, or duodecimo

    16mo or sixteenmo

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

mo 7 British  

abbreviation

  1. Macau

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What else does MO mean? MO—it's a multifunctional set of letters. MO is commonly used as an abbreviation for modus operandi, meaning “mode of operating or working.” It’s also commonly a postal abbreviation for Missouri. You may not always encounter mo in uppercase letters in informal contexts in digital communication. So, two other widespread, popular uses of mo you may encounter are: Mo, a guy’s name, and mo, a dialectical pronunciation of more. In the U. K. and other English-speaking places around the world, mo is a slang shortening of the word moment. How is MO pronounced?[ em-oh ] or [ moh ]What are some variants of MO?or M. O. or mo' or moWhat are some other words related to MO?

Etymology

Origin of mo1

By shortening

Origin of -mo4

Combining form extracted from duodecimo

Vocabulary lists containing mo

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Her improvised chorus is simple; a dozen times, she repeats “Mo ti de, mo ti de le,” which means “I’ve arrived. I’ve come home” in Yoruba.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 21, 2023

Although history does not celebrate the first skin-eaters, cultures around the world enjoy their recipes — whether Brazilian torresmos, Canadian scrunchions, Indonesian krupuk kulit, Jewish gribenes, Mexican cueritos, Slavic cvarci or Vietnamese tóp mo.

From Washington Post Feb. 21, 2023

It can do all the modes that matter in terms of 4K and slow mo and handles them all super well.

From The Verge Sep. 21, 2021

But it’s the mo hanh, caramelized scallions and scallion-flavored oil, that make this banh mi sing.

From Seattle Times Sep. 3, 2020

But right at that mo ment, everybody else must have seen her too.

From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan

Whether he is pulling a pint, tossing a builder's helmet in the air or running with Olympic medallist Mo Farah, the UK's new prime minister Andy Burnham has embraced social media with a deft touch.

From Barron's Aug. 16, 2026

“Loudoun was called the breadbasket of the Revolution,” said Denise Mo, executive director of the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 2, 2026

But this turn doesn’t define Mo or his overall arc, which tightly focuses on the constant hustle, creativity and sense of humor required to survive as an immigrant in this country.

From Salon Jul. 1, 2026

The Timberwolves will receive Mo Gueye from Chicago but are expected to waive the third-year forward.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 23, 2026

"I know how you feel. When Mo died, I couldn't believe he was gone forever. I had this idea that—somehow—he could come back. But Ishtar's dead."

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

“True Haunting” is nonfiction, but the MO is Wan-ish.

From The Wall Street Journal Oct. 2, 2025

Back in April, Walmart announced that it was in the process of removing self-checkouts and returning to regular checkouts in its store in Shrewsbury, MO, a suburb of St. Louis.

From Salon Jul. 17, 2024

But the specific deal with Alonso, a free agent after this season, would be a departure from the Mariners’ typical MO under Jerry Dipoto.

From Seattle Times Jun. 1, 2024

Because doing the most with what’s at hand has always been Soto’s MO: He continuously challenges himself to do more with less.

From Los Angeles Times Oct. 26, 2023

“Oh, big surprise. Maddie’s running away! That’s your MO anytime you come across something you don’t know how to handle.”

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon

“It’s key that need for reform is understood, but we don’t need 6 mo. of study,” he wrote.

From New York Times Oct. 22, 2020

Net income, first half 158,696 Net income, 18 mo. ended December 275,622 Reo Motor Car Co.

From Time Magazine Archive

At the age of 18 mo. the prodigy, referred to only as "K," could converse fluently.

From Time Magazine Archive

Poor St. Louis, mo. everyone has a tear or two for gritty cities facing hard times--for the Detroits, the Clevelands--but who spares a thought for the elegant dowager reduced to reusing tea bags?

From Time Magazine Archive

Thus, an octavo volume, or a volume printed in eights, as it is called, has eight leaves, or sixteen pages to a signature; a quarto four leaves; a duodecimo, or 12 mo. twelve leaves.

From A Book for All Readers An Aid to the Collection, Use, and Preservation of Books and the Formation of Public and Private Libraries by Ainsworth Rand Spofford

The biggest winners weren’t star-studded cities such as New York and Los Angeles, but less-obvious destinations including Philadelphia and Kansas City, Mo., which saw significant boosts in tourism.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 20, 2026

The elder Iwerks met fellow artist Walt Disney when both men were teenagers working at a Kansas City, Mo., art studio.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 12, 2026

Kyle Scheele, a 40-year-old from Springfield, Mo., came to the U.K. with his wife for a five-day hike through the Cotswolds, prepared for rainy days in the 60s and 70s.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 26, 2026

Sheila was raised in Kansas City, Mo., and moved to New York where she worked as a registered nurse but also had a background in theater.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 23, 2026

“I’ll also have to rent a car, Elinor,” said Mo. “Can you lend me the money? I’ll pay you back as soon as we meet up again.”

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke

Reacting defines her persona and the cultural m.o. of her memoir.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 23, 2020

And causing other people’s pain is not in my m.o.

From Salon May 2, 2019

Chanos’s m.o. is to take large short positions in stocks and wait for them to fall to what he considers fair value.

From Slate Jul. 6, 2018

Its m.o., sour beers and Neapolitan-style pizza, continues at the new Fremont location, but there will be an extensive fresh-pasta menu, sandwiches, tacos and a full bar with a biodynamic wine program.

From Seattle Times Dec. 4, 2017

Wouldn’t that have been squarely within the Fellowes m.o.?

From New York Times Jan. 31, 2016

"I feel like in my career I've won on tough golf courses generally, so that's my M.O., I would say," said 2025 Masters runner-up Rose, who led by a shot after an opening-round 62.

From BBC Jan. 31, 2026

Bending Spoons’ M.O. is apparent from even a cursory look at its portfolio and record.

From Slate Jan. 23, 2026

Whether she’s being herself or playing Leslie Knope, Poehler’s M.O. has long been catching more flies with honey than vinegar.

From Salon Jan. 16, 2026

With its slow pacing, shaky handheld cameras, dishwater cinematography and unnervingly extreme closeups, it feels more like an intense indie drama than a whimsical tale of a robber with a peculiar M.O.

From The Wall Street Journal Oct. 9, 2025

A little after midnight we were requested to send a M.O. and as many nursing orderlies as possible to the Inniskillings Aid Post, where they were said to be overwhelmed with work.

From The Incomparable 29th and the "River Clyde" by George Davidson

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