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• hippo
  hippo

  noun

  hippopotamus.
• Hippo
  Hippo

  noun

  Hippo Regius.
• hippo-
  hippo-

  a combining form appearing in loanwords from Greek, where it meant “horse” (hippodrome ); on this model, used in the formation of compound words (hippology ).

hippo

¹ American  

[hip-oh] / ˈhɪp oʊ /

noun

Informal.

• hippos
  plural

1. hippopotamus.

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Hippo ² American  

[hip-oh] / ˈhɪp oʊ /

noun

1. Hippo Regius.

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hippo- ³ American  

1. a combining form appearing in loanwords from Greek, where it meant “horse” (hippodrome ); on this model, used in the formation of compound words (hippology ).

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hippo British  

/ ˈhɪpəʊ /

noun

1. short for hippopotamus

2. an armoured police car

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hippos
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of hippo¹

By shortening

Origin of hippo-³

< Greek: combining form of híppos; cognate with Latin equus, Old Irish ech, Old English eoh, Sanskrit aśvas, Lithuanian ašvà

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Explanation

A hippo is a very large African mammal that lives both in and out of the water. Adult hippos can weigh well over 3,000 pounds. Hippos are the third-largest land mammals (after elephants and rhinos), and of the three, they are by far the most aggressive and territorial. These gray, hairless, barrel-shaped animals resemble enormous pigs, but they're more closely related to whales and dolphins. Hippo is shorthand for hippopotamus, a word that derives from the Greek ho hippos potamios, "the horse of the river."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hippo Hippo hippo- hippos

In Zambia’s Kafue National Park, Ila Safari Lodge, owned by Green Safaris, has its own solar-powered boat, which is used for expeditions in search of hippo pods and Nile crocodiles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

The hippo liked it there, so it took a while to extract the animal from the muddy waters to the delight of the locals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

McDonald’s soon followed, launching in 1979 its Happy Meal, which came with a free circus animal trinket — a lion, elephant, hippo or bear.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026

"He is a very snuggly creature and is happiest when nestled on or against someone," the sanctuary adds, alongside a photo of the hippo with its head on the keeper's lap.

From BBC ● May 6, 2026

Sometimes the enemy was large and formidable, such as a hippo slipper; sometimes it was one pink, defenseless eraser.

From "Wringer" by Jerry Spinelli

In northeastern Annaba -- formerly the ancient Roman city of Hippo -- Leo will visit vestiges of the city's historical past, as well as a reception centre run by Catholic nuns for impoverished elderly people.

From Barron's ● Apr. 14, 2026

In December, he expressed his desire to visit the continent, citing Algeria, the birthplace of St Augustine of Hippo, as a potential destination.

From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026

When Augustine died in 430, the Vandals, a barbarian people who had crossed the Rhine decades earlier and already fought their way through Gaul and Iberia, had reached the gates of Hippo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025

Dug’s head is so massive that, with the rest of his body mostly underwater, he resembled a blond, furry Hippo cutting through the water’s surface.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2025

After some years of retirement, Augustine made a journey to Hippo Regius, a Roman colony on the River Rubricatus in North Africa, and became a presbyter.

From The Inhabitants of the Philippines by Frederic H. Sawyer

Lastly, he was to wind them up by appearing in his favourite character of Mr. William Button, of Tooley Street, in 'the highly novel and laughable hippo- comedietta of The Tailor's Journey to Brentford.'

From Hard Times by Charles Dickens

The prefix hippo- comes from the Greek word for "horse".

From The Faerie Queene — Volume 01 by Edmund Spenser

He has used giraffes, hippos, rhinos, camels and zebras, and now has both bisons and elephants at the Great Moscow Circus, which opened during the Soviet era.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

In the latest outbreak in the Munyamadzi Game Management Area, in Muchinga province, Zambia's Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit said 46 hippos, eight elephants, five buffaloes and one crocodile had died since July.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

Coachella veterans were chuffed to hit the grounds and see “Network Operations,” the long-awaited return of Dedo Vabo’s hippos.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026

Judy, the first rabbit to join the city's police force, has proven to her macho colleagues — buffaloes, hippos, and warthogs — that she deserves her place in the investigative department.

From Barron's ● Nov. 25, 2025

The hippos floated far and near, unmoved by Nhamo’s threats.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

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