taco

American  

[tah-koh, tah-kaw] / ˈtɑ koʊ, ˈtɑ kɔ /

noun

• tacos
  plural

1. Mexican Cooking. a tortilla filled with various ingredients, as beans, rice, chopped meat, cheese, and tomatoes, and folded over in half or rolled into a loose cylinder shape: The downside of hard-shell tacos is that you can’t fit as much stuff in a fried tortilla.

   My favorite breakfast taco has eggs, bacon, and cheese on a flour tortilla.

   The downside of hard-shell tacos is that you can’t fit as much stuff in a fried tortilla.

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taco British  

/ ˈtɑːkəʊ /

noun

1. Mexican cookery a tortilla folded into a roll with a filling and usually fried

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tacos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of taco

First recorded in 1930–35; from Mexican Spanish; perhaps a shortening of taco de minero “miner’s plug,” from the resemblance of the food to an explosive charge used in silver mines, from Spanish taco “wad, plug, wedge”; further origin uncertain

Compare meaning

How does taco compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• taco vs. burrito

Explanation

When you wrap a tortilla around a delicious filling, that's a taco. Traditional tacos are usually made with spicy, seasoned meat and garnishes like salsa and avocado — but these days, people put all kinds of things in tacos. Tacos were invented in Mexico before the Spanish arrived. In Mexican Spanish, taco means "light meal," but also "wedge" or "plug." Experts have made guesses about the indigenous roots of taco (like the Nahuatl word tlahco, "half" or "in the middle"), but this connection hasn't been proven. Today when you order a taco, it might come on a soft or crunchy fried tortilla, and be filled with meat, fish, vegetables, beans, cheese, or even tofu.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

taco tacos

Taco Bell’s Luxe Value Menu offers 10 items for $3 or less, including a spicy potato soft taco for $1.69 and a cheesy bean and rice burrito for $1.89.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

Before she sold her first taco, she decided to list the truck on Craigslist to test the resale market.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

A Taco Bell X post last week riffing on the joys of “spiritually sitting in a taco bell parking lot at sunset” was met with poop emojis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Serve it with warm corn tortillas, diced onion, cilantro and a flavorful salsa, and you have the makings of an outdoor taco night that largely takes care of itself.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

“There’s that taco stand down on Dawson. We could walk and hang out for a little while before you go home.”

From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy

I’d go to Los Feliz for some tacos and go for a walk.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Order a blue spirulina-coconut whip or try some street-food mashups, like Nashville Hot tacos and naan nachos.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

In 2007, Taco Bell heavily advertised new products such as a Cheesy Beefy Melt, its value meals and a Major League Baseball promotion awarding free tacos.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Tucked away in a Sun Valley strip mall, El Compadre market and restaurant was a neighborhood staple, selling handmade tamales, carne asada tacos, fresh pan dulce and an array of products imported from Mexico.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

“Well, we got a couple of extra tacos if you want ’em.”

From "Small Steps" by Louis Sachar