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• bongo
  bongo

  noun

  a reddish-brown antelope, Taurotragus eurycerus, of the forests of tropical Africa, having white stripes and large, spirally twisted horns.
• Bongo
  Bongo

  noun

  Omar . original name Albert Bernard Bongo . 1935–2009, Gabonese statesman; president of Gabon (1967–2009)

bongo

¹ American  

[bong-goh, bawng-] / ˈbɒŋ goʊ, ˈbɔŋ- /

noun

bongos plural

1. a reddish-brown antelope, Taurotragus eurycerus, of the forests of tropical Africa, having white stripes and large, spirally twisted horns.

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bongo ² American  

[bong-goh, bawng-] / ˈbɒŋ goʊ, ˈbɔŋ- /

noun

bongos, plural bongoes plural

1. one of a pair of small tuned drums, played by beating with the fingers.

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Bongo ¹ British  

/ ˈbɒŋɡəʊ /

noun

1. Omar . original name Albert Bernard Bongo . 1935–2009, Gabonese statesman; president of Gabon (1967–2009)

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bongo ² British  

/ ˈbɒŋɡəʊ /

noun

1. a rare spiral-horned antelope, Boocercus (or Taurotragus ) eurycerus , inhabiting forests of central Africa. The coat is bright red-brown with narrow cream stripes

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bongo ³ British  

/ ˈbɒŋɡəʊ /

noun

1. a small bucket-shaped drum, usually one of a pair, played by beating with the fingers

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bongoist
  noun

Inflected Forms

noun

• bongos
  plural
• bongoes
  plural
• bongo
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bongo¹

1860–65; probably < a Bantu language; compare Lingala mongu an antelope

Origin of bongo²

An Americanism dating back to 1915–20; from Latin American Spanish (Puerto Rico) bongó

Example Sentences

Lucy Francom, 26, began training Bongo when she got him about four years ago because he followed her everywhere.

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026

Instead, Bongo and her other cat Fifi are trained to paddleboard, kayak and walk with her.

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026

Niger state governor Mohammed Umaru Bongo announced on Saturday that all schools in the area would close, warning that was "not a time for blame game".

From BBC • Nov. 23, 2025

"We know full well that if we go back, we will suffer things far worse than we have already suffered," Noureddin Bongo told AFP ahead of the trial.

From Barron's • Nov. 12, 2025

“There must be something I can do,” Bongo said.

From "Wishtree" by Katherine Applegate