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• bongo
  bongo

  noun

  a reddish-brown antelope, Taurotragus eurycerus, of the forests of tropical Africa, having white stripes and large, spirally twisted horns.
• Bongo
  Bongo

  noun

  Omar . original name Albert Bernard Bongo . 1935–2009, Gabonese statesman; president of Gabon (1967–2009)

bongo

¹ American  

[bong-goh, bawng-] / ˈbɒŋ goʊ, ˈbɔŋ- /

noun

• bongos,
  plural
• bongo
  plural

1. a reddish-brown antelope, Taurotragus eurycerus, of the forests of tropical Africa, having white stripes and large, spirally twisted horns.

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bongo ² American  

[bong-goh, bawng-] / ˈbɒŋ goʊ, ˈbɔŋ- /

noun

• bongos,
  plural
• bongoes
  plural

1. one of a pair of small tuned drums, played by beating with the fingers.

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Bongo ¹ British  

/ ˈbɒŋɡəʊ /

noun

1. Omar . original name Albert Bernard Bongo . 1935–2009, Gabonese statesman; president of Gabon (1967–2009)

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bongo ² British  

/ ˈbɒŋɡəʊ /

noun

1. a rare spiral-horned antelope, Boocercus (or Taurotragus ) eurycerus , inhabiting forests of central Africa. The coat is bright red-brown with narrow cream stripes

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bongo ³ British  

/ ˈbɒŋɡəʊ /

noun

1. a small bucket-shaped drum, usually one of a pair, played by beating with the fingers

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bongoist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bongo
  plural
• bongoes
  plural
• bongos
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of bongo¹

1860–65; probably < a Bantu language; compare Lingala mongu an antelope

Origin of bongo²

An Americanism dating back to 1915–20; from Latin American Spanish (Puerto Rico) bongó

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bongo Bongo bongos

The mountain bongo is a large, chestnut-red antelope with narrow white vertical stripes and long spiral horns.

From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026

The song boasts Grupo Frontera’s traditional norteño sound, with the addition of their signature bongo of course.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2025

The lilting, understated guitars and pattering bongo drums of Dominican bachata usually carry songs of restrained regret.

From New York Times ● Jan. 26, 2024

In snippets from the Season 2 trailer, we see Misty dressed in purple, banging on a bongo alongside a bunch of Lottie's followers.

From Salon ● Apr. 7, 2023

Their instruments include an accordion, a bass guitar, a tuba, and bongo drums.

From "Wishtree" by Katherine Applegate

After an unexpected coup three years ago in neighbouring Gabon, which toppled the Bongo dynasty sending shockwaves across the continent, Cameroon immediately reshuffled its military leadership.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Gupta arrived in Gabon in 2008, aged 33 and with no French, to head the local subsidiary of Singaporean agrifood giant Olam, where he built close ties with the then president, Ali Bongo.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

The Bongo family ruled Gabon for more than five decades.

From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2025

The wife of Ali Bongo, whose family ruled the central African country with an iron fist for 55 years, had been accused of manipulating her husband to embezzle taxpayers' money.

From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2025

“I missed you, Red,” he said, in a voice so small that only Bongo and I could hear it.

From "Wishtree" by Katherine Applegate

Settles-Bey sways to the rhythm of the bongos on a recent Sunday in the park -- but nerves are still frayed.

From Barron's ● May 19, 2026

In 2022, the conservancy told local media that some mountain bongos previously repatriated had successfully been integrated into the wild and started breeding.

From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026

The WBC allowed fans to bring in 16 “permissible instruments,” including bongos, cowbells, maracas and trumpets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026

The music seemed to levitate with the centrifugal force of rampaging bongos.

From New York Times ● Nov. 3, 2023

Soon, we’re playing a rhythm on the graffiti-covered stalls like we’re playing bongos.

From "Ghost Boys" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

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