dingo
Americannoun
-
a wolflike, wild dog, Canis familiaris dingo, of Australia, having a reddish- or yellowish-brown coat.
-
Australian. a cowardly or treacherous person.
noun
-
a wild dog, Canis dingo, of Australia, having a yellowish-brown coat and resembling a wolf
-
slang a cheat or coward
verb
-
-
to act in a cowardly manner
-
to drop out of something
-
-
(foll by on) to let (someone) down
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of dingo
First recorded in 1789, dingo is from the Dharuk word din-gu tame dingo
Explanation
A dingo is a wild Australian dog, a very distant relative of the pup curled up on your sofa. Dingoes are sometimes called "singing dogs" for the wide variety of howls they use to communicate. Dingoes have lived in Australia for at least 3,500 years, and they're the largest carnivorous mammal on the continent (besides humans). These medium-sized brown and white dogs live and hunt in family groups, preying on rabbits, small rodents, and helping to control some invasive species like the red fox. Dingo comes from the Native Australian Dharruk language, meaning "tame dog."
Vocabulary lists containing dingo
Australia and New Zealand - Introductory
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Australia and New Zealand - Middle School and High School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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:
An autopsy conducted on James' body found evidence "consistent with drowning" but also detected injuries corresponding to dingo bites.
From Barron's ● Jan. 28, 2026
In a statement to the BBC, the coroner also said there were "extensive post-mortem dingo bite marks" and that no evidence anyone else was involved.
From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2026
Altadena was where people raised chickens before it was trendy, where no one batted an eye at the neighbors with a pet dingo, or thought much about the so-called haunted road said to defy gravity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2026
It's said that a dog is a man's best friend, but the wild dingo is much maligned in Australia.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2023
There is no evidence of any new technology or introduction reaching Australia from Indonesia, after Australia’s initial colonization 40,000 years ago, until the dingo appeared around 1500 B.C.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
In 2023, a woman jogging along a beach on K'Gari was attacked by dingoes, forcing her to run into the ocean.
From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2026
Wildlife managers, rangers, Indigenous people and tourism operators need to work together so that humans and dingoes can coexist on the island, he said.
From Barron's ● Jan. 28, 2026
The area is known for its population of dingoes, a wild species of native dog that is protected in Queensland national parks.
From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2026
They’re threatened by conflict with humans, dogs and dingoes and a disease called Devil Facial Tumor Disease that only affects the species.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2025
He was kept too busy as yet to think of death-blows; both dingoes saw to that for him, their jaws being never far from one side or the other of his neck or his fore-legs.
From Finn The Wolfhound by Buxton, Robert Hugh
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.
