nacho

American  

[nah-choh] / ˈnɑ tʃoʊ /

noun

Mexican Cooking.

nachos plural

1. a snack or appetizer consisting of a tortilla chip topped with cheese, pickled jalapeño peppers, refried beans, etc., and baked or broiled.

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nacho British  

/ ˈnɑːtʃəʊ /

noun

1. Mexican cookery a snack consisting of a piece of tortilla topped with cheese, hot peppers, etc, and grilled

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• nachos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of nacho

First recorded in 1945–50; from Mexican Spanish Nacho, nickname for the male given name Ignacio, specifically, Ignacio Anaya, a Mexican chef who supposedly invented the dish in the mid-1940s

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nacho nachos

"There will be another nacho bar. Grander, bigger. That's going to be my centre-piece," she said.

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026

Matthews’s team ran through 10 variations before settling on one coated in seasoning and dipped in nacho cheese sauce.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 22, 2025

There’s a copious amount of nacho cheese involved.

From Salon ● May 15, 2025

Meanwhile, the interior gets loaded with fajita-style chicken, housemade nacho cheese sauce and pico de gallo, a natural friend to any tostada.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 5, 2023

While the pigeon pecked at nacho pieces, Palmer sat on the bed to think the whole thing through.

From "Wringer" by Jerry Spinelli

“We have a few really die-hard salad customers and a few folks who love the fully loaded nachos with all of the vegetables,” Fluhler said.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026

And on Sunday night, as America was heating up nachos for Super Bowl parties, Team USA’s skaters were lacing up for their own winner-take-all showdown.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026

At the Delta Center, home of the NBA’s Utah Jazz and the Utah Hockey Club, the $3 menu includes hot dogs, nachos, popcorn and ice cream.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2025

That means nachos, wings - and of course, beer - must all to be made now with local Canadian ingredients, or wherever not possible, non-US products from Europe or Mexico.

From BBC ● Mar. 8, 2025

When I returned, I sat down and gave Patrick and Sam the nachos and Sam her diet coke.

From "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky