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

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2025

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

Broken bongo drums were also found in the apartment.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 30, 2022

In Florence, reporters and law enforcement officers outnumbered protesters, some of whom banged bongo drums and came up with creative solutions to get around the Green Pass.

From New York Times ● Oct. 15, 2021

“Henry Winter,” said my friends when I pointed him out, at a distance, making a wide circle to avoid a group of bongo players on the lawn.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

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

Instead, Bongo and her other cat Fifi are trained to paddleboard, kayak and walk with her.

From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2026

The Bongo family ruled Gabon for more than five decades.

From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2025

Ex-president Ali Bongo was toppled in a coup on August 30, 2023, which brought General Brice Oligui Nguema to power.

From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2025

“Unfortunately, the newbies heard her, too,” Bongo said.

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

Last year, about 17 mountain bongos were repatriated from the Rare Species Conservation Foundation in Florida.

From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026

More than a decade later, there are no bongos or essential oils at L.A.’s latest wave of death cafes and, most noticeably, their attendees skew younger.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2024

It has some of the fewer than 100 remaining critically endangered mountain bongos in the world, alongside rhinos, elephants, buffaloes, lions, leopards and others.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 2, 2024

It’s merengues and salsas with horns and bongos and singers crooning about la estrellita de Belén.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

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