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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

See Examples For:

Afro Afro- Afros

It was also great for Johnson Products: Sales of Afro Sheen soared.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

The troupe, which features Afro Latino talent and dance elements, is bringing its robust program to L.A. this week.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026

"Where we're at now there's so much, there's Afro gospel, there's R&B, there's rap and it's touching on so many different matters."

From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2026

It's a term typically used to describe several Afro hairstyles, including braids, locs and wigs, that reduce how much your hair is exposed to the elements and cut back on constant styling.

From BBC ● Mar. 29, 2025

She shaped her hands like a globe around her Afro.

From "P.S. Be Eleven" by Rita Williams-Garcia

Such was the world of the Mediterranean basin and Afro- Eurasia in the middle of the fourteenth century when the bubonic plague ravaged central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023

Kings, clergy, and scholars helped to preserve the classical past and maintain diplomatic and economic ties across western Afro- Eurasia.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023

The unrest began in the north London suburb of Tottenham on Aug. 6, after a local man of Afro- Caribbean origin, Mark Duggan, was killed in a shootout with police.

From BusinessWeek ● Aug. 9, 2011

"There is a mood of Afro- pessimism," says Serageldin.

From Time Magazine Archive

At the end of my talk, I heard “Yes! We support the Afro- American . . . morally, physically, materially if necessary!”

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

That meant little to us as teens wearing big ties and platform shoes, listening to rock and roll while even white guys sported Afros and we all began dancing to disco.

From Salon ● Jan. 2, 2025

Bows, meticulously handmade flowers and shiny buttons adorn wigs shaped into opulent Afros, coiled curls and braided up-dos.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2023

Since then, bills protecting natural hair styles, such as Afros, braids, locks twists and Bantu knots, have spread across the country.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 29, 2022

The House voted 235-to-189 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of hair texture and hairstyles like hair that is tightly coiled, curled, or worn in locs, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, or Afros.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 18, 2022

Our girls allowed their hair to grow out naturally into styles called Afros.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson