Twitter users have latched on to former FBI director James Comey's use of 'lordy' during his Capitol Hill testimony about his interaction with President Donald Trump.

Comey told senators on Thursday morning, 'Lordy, I hope there are tapes,' in referring to his meetings with Trump.

'Lordy' quickly became the focus of numerous memes, animated graphics and calls for T-shirts.

Even the Merriam-Webster dictionary got into the act, tweeting out the definition of 'Lordy' as a word used to 'express surprise or strength of feeling'.

Former FBI director James Comey told senators during his testimony on Thursday morning, 'Lordy, I hope there are tapes,' in referring to his meetings with President Donald Trump

Twitter said Comey's 'Lordy' remark was among the top three most tweeted moments during the testimony.

Former New York City U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, who was also fired by Trump, echoed Comey's statement, writing, 'We can all agree with Jim Comey that, Lordy, we hope there are tapes.'

Captain America actor Chris Evans quickly weighed in, saying he wanted Comey's phrase on a T-shirt.

For those unaccustomed to hearing the word, dictionary maker Merriam-Webster tweeted a definition and joked that Comey still had time to use old-fashioned terms like 'gadzooks' or 'gramercy'.

The president hinted last month on Twitter that audio of some of his communications with Comey may have been preserved, tweeting that he had 'better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!'

Comey's friends later told CNN that the fired FBI director was 'not worried about any tapes.' One said that 'if there is a tape, there's nothing he is worried about.'

'He hopes there are tapes. That would be perfect,' a Comey confidant told NBC News.

Social media also poked fun during Comey's testimony when the former FBI director revealed a presidential intrusion into his domestic life.

'I had to call my wife and break a date with her,' Comey said. 'I was supposed to take her out to dinner that night.'

'Moral of the #Comey testimony: Don't cancel a date with your wife,' said CBS-Chicago reporter Jeremy Ross on Twitter.

Some Twitter users made parodies of Carly Rae Jepsen's hit song, Call Me Maybe, with tweets using the phrase 'Comey, maybe', while others referenced rap songs and other hit tracks to make jokes.

Elsewhere on the internet, Comey's disclosure that the person who leaked his memos of meeting with Trump was a Columbia Law School professor led to a stampede on the school's website, causing it to crash.

Daniel Richman later confirmed to Reuters he was the one to whom Comey referred in his testimony.

Shortly after the mention by Comey, the school tweeted: 'Columbia Law's site is down at the moment. We are working on a solution. Stay tuned.'