Dictionary.com

bolo

1
[ boh-loh ]
/ ˈboʊ loʊ /
Save This Word!

noun, plural bo·los.
a large, heavy, single-edged knife or machete for hacking, used in the Philippines and by the U.S. Army.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of bolo

1
First recorded in 1900–05; from Philippine Spanish; further origin uncertain

Other definitions for bolo (2 of 3)

bolo2
[ boh-loh ]
/ ˈboʊ loʊ /
U.S. Military Slang.

noun, plural bo·los.
a soldier who does not meet the minimum standards of marksmanship.
a clumsy or incompetent soldier.
verb (used without object), bo·loed, bo·lo·ing.
to fail to meet the minimum standards of marksmanship.

Origin of bolo

2
First recorded in 1915–20; said to be after Bolo Pascha (died 1918), German agent in France during World War I

Other definitions for bolo (3 of 3)

bolo3
[ boh-loh ]
/ ˈboʊ loʊ /

noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bolo in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bolo

bolo
/ (ˈbəʊləʊ) /

noun plural -los
a large single-edged knife, originating in the Philippines

Word Origin for bolo

Philippine Spanish, probably from a native word
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
FEEDBACK