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Synonyms

bingo

American  
[bing-goh] / ˈbɪŋ goʊ /

noun

(sometimes initial capital letter)

  1. a form of lotto in which balls or slips, each with a number and one of the letters B, I, N, G, or O, are drawn at random and players cover the corresponding numbers printed on their cards, the winner being the first to cover five numbers in any row or diagonal or, sometimes, all numbers on the card.

interjection

  1. (used to call a win in bingo.)

  2. (used to express suddenness or swiftness, as of an action).

    He waved his hand, and, bingo, the card reappeared.

  3. (used to acknowledge someone's sudden understanding or correct response).

    Bingo! That's just what I meant!
bingo British  
/ ˈbɪŋɡəʊ /

noun

  1. a gambling game, usually played with several people, in which numbers selected at random are called out and the players cover the numbers on their individual cards. The first to cover a given arrangement of numbers is the winner Compare lotto

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

  1. a cry by the winner of a game of bingo

  2. an expression of surprise at a sudden occurrence or the successful completion of something

    and bingo! the lights went out
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bingo

First recorded in 1935–40; apparently alteration of beano 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The latest lingo bingo words are AI agents, context and business ontology.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

“I don’t think anybody had that on their bingo card coming into 2026,” said Stephen Hoedt, head of equities at Key Private Bank.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026

“Having to have that conversation wasn’t on my bingo card for that day, or any day,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2026

Some set to go ahead include "Book Bingo" in Warwickshire, where library members can read or listen to 12 books to complete a bingo card and enter a prize draw.

From BBC • Dec. 27, 2025

I hated to think what had happened to them, but I kind of doubted they’d been allowed to go home with their bingo winnings.

From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.