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• Afro
  Afro

  noun

  a hairstyle originating with Black people, in which naturally curly or frizzy hair is cut into a full, bushy shape all over the head.
• Afro-
  Afro-

  a combining form of Africa.

Afro

¹ American  

[af-roh] / ˈæf roʊ /

noun

Afros plural

1. a hairstyle originating with Black people, in which naturally curly or frizzy hair is cut into a full, bushy shape all over the head.

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adjective

1. of or relating to African Americans or to Black traditions, culture, etc..

   Afro societies.

Afro- ² American  

1. a combining form of Africa.

   Afro-American; Afro-Asiatic.

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Afro ¹ British  

/ ˈæfrəʊ /

noun

1. a hairstyle in which the hair is shaped into a wide frizzy bush

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Afro- ² British  

combining form

1. indicating Africa or African

   Afro-Asiatic

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Afros
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Afro¹

First recorded in 1965–70; independent use of Afro-

Origin of Afro-²

< Latin Āfr- (stem of Āfer an African) + -o-

Example Sentences

"All of my music is based on love," Teddy Afro told the BBC in 2017.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

Often bare-chested or draped in the wax-printed fabric popular across West Africa, hair shaped into a crisp Afro, saxophone in hand, eyes alert with intensity, he commanded a large band of more than 20 musicians.

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026

The young millennial rocked different hairstyles and loved switching it up: a curly Afro one week, two-strand twists the next, micro plaited braids and a range of cornrow designs.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 19, 2024

So I've always been interested in both African foodways and Afro Caribbean foodways.

From Salon • Dec. 9, 2024

“Daddy had an Afro once!” she squealed at one point toward the end, and we all started to laugh.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama