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  • congo
    congo
    noun
  • Congo
    Congo
    noun
    People's Republic of the Congo, a republic in central Africa, west of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 132,046 sq. mi. (341,999 sq. km). Brazzaville.

congo

1 American  
[kong-goh] / ˈkɒŋ goʊ /

noun

  1. congou.


Congo 2 American  
[kong-goh] / ˈkɒŋ goʊ /

noun

  1. Formerly Middle Congo, French Congo. People's Republic of the Congo, a republic in central Africa, west of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 132,046 sq. mi. (341,999 sq. km). Brazzaville.

  2. Democratic Republic of the Congo. Formerly Zaire, Belgian Congo, Congo Free State. Democratic Republic of the Congo, a republic in central Africa. 905,568 sq. mi. (2,345,410 sq. km). Kinshasa.

  3. Also called Zaire. Congo River, a river in central Africa, flowing in a great loop from southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to the Atlantic. About 3,000 miles (4,800 km) long.

  4. Kongo.


Congo British  
/ ˈkɒŋɡəʊ /

noun

  1. Former names: Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, Zaïre. a republic in S central Africa, with a narrow strip of land along the Congo estuary leading to the Atlantic in the west: Congo Free State established in 1885, with Leopold II of Belgium as absolute monarch; became the Belgian Congo colony in 1908; gained independence in 1960, followed by civil war and the secession of Katanga (until 1963); President Mobutu Sese Seko seized power in 1965; declared a one-party state in 1978, and was overthrown by rebels in 1997. The country consists chiefly of the Congo basin, with large areas of dense tropical forest and marshes, and the Mitumba highlands reaching over 5000 m (16 000 ft) in the east. Official language: French. Religion: Christian majority, animist minority. Currency: Congolese franc. Capital: Kinshasa. Pop: 75 507 308 (2013 est). Area: 2 344 116 sq km (905 063 sq miles)

  2. another name for Congo-Brazzaville

  3. Former Zaïrese name (1971–97): Zaïre. the second longest river in Africa, rising as the Lualaba on the Katanga plateau in the Democratic Republic of Congo and flowing in a wide northerly curve to the Atlantic: forms the border between Congo-Brazzaville and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Length: about 4800 km (3000 miles). Area of basin: about 3 000 000 sq km (1 425 000 sq miles)

  4. a variant spelling of Kongo

"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

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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.

See Examples For:

The tracks contain a cross pattern, a reference to the African dikenga, also known as the congo cosmogram, a chart that symbolizes the cycle of life from birth to the realm of the ancestors.

From New York Times ● Nov. 20, 2023

Pedrito Martinez The Havana-born congo player and vocalist and his Afro-Cuban jazz ensemble perform songs from his recent album “Acertijos” in a concert filmed in November at Manhattan’s 92nd Street Y. 4:30 p.m.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2020

This isn’t some kind of stationary congo, there’s a reason we’re all in a line.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 27, 2015

He takes notes on a small pad as she ticks off her weekly menu: chicken bouillon Mondays, fish and rice Fridays, pwa congo whenever the pigeon peas are harvested.

From Washington Post

But all this was nothing to our travellers, nor was the clang of the macaws anything, or the roaring of the little congo ape.

From Returning Home by Anthony Trollope

Uganda imposed restrictions on movement across its border with DR Congo shortly after the outbreak began in May.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

"The uncertainty and other conditions they faced in the Democratic Republic of Congo call into question whether these returns to countries of origin were voluntary," the group said.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Amid the 2026 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, videos of a doctor recommending Vitamin D3 and zinc spread from accounts selling supplements, despite these being unable to treat the disease.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

The victim, a Kenyan whose name wasn’t released, was treated in Congo, where he had lived for several years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

“The Congo is the Congo’s and ever has been.”

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

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