dingo

[ ding-goh ]

/ ˈdɪŋ goʊ /

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See synonyms for dingo on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural din·goes.

a wolflike, wild dog, Canis familiaris dingo, of Australia, having a reddish- or yellowish-brown coat.

Australian. a cowardly or treacherous person.

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Origin of dingo

First recorded in 1789, dingo is from the Dharuk word din-gu tame dingo

Words nearby dingo

dinges, dinghy, dingle, dingleberry, Ding Ling, dingo, dingus, dingy, dining car, dining hall, dining room

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

How to use dingo in a sentence

Scientists had noticed an increase in the size of some dingoes, but that there hasn’t been much understanding of what was causing it, says Michael Letnic, an ecologist at the University of New South Wales in Sydney.
Culling dingoes with poison may be making them bigger|Jake Buehler|August 19, 2020|Science News
If dingoes are growing in size in response to 1080 exposure, there could be ecological implications down the line.
Culling dingoes with poison may be making them bigger|Jake Buehler|August 19, 2020|Science News
Dingo attacks are generally the result of how a human acts toward them.
Pets or Predators? 10 Things About Australia’s Famous Dog, the Dingo|Meredith Kaufman|June 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Georgina stepped in between the dingo and her baby sister just before their mother was able to scare the dingo away.
Pets or Predators? 10 Things About Australia’s Famous Dog, the Dingo|Meredith Kaufman|June 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Although it is rare, dingo attacks on humans have been known to occur.
Pets or Predators? 10 Things About Australia’s Famous Dog, the Dingo|Meredith Kaufman|June 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Dingo packs are highly territorial and an intruding dingo will likely be killed.
Pets or Predators? 10 Things About Australia’s Famous Dog, the Dingo|Meredith Kaufman|June 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
At the time, the dingo was semi-domesticated and is believed to be the common ancestor of all breeds today.
Pets or Predators? 10 Things About Australia’s Famous Dog, the Dingo|Meredith Kaufman|June 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
You only shot once at the dingo—there are two chambers empty in this revolver.
Queensland Cousins|Eleanor Luisa Haverfield
We felt proud of the occasion and grateful to General Dingo.
Roads of Destiny|O. Henry
Now a dingo or wild dog, now a toombat or opossum, made its appearance, and created matter of interest and inquiry.
The Gilpins and their Fortunes|William H. G. Kingston
Leaving science to unravel this problem, it may be said of the dingo that he is a good-looking but an ill-behaved animal.
Australian Pictures|Howard Willoughby
No surface water is to be obtained in the mallee district; its silence is only disturbed by the melancholy wail of the dingo.
Australian Pictures|Howard Willoughby

British Dictionary definitions for dingo

dingo

/ (ˈdɪŋɡəʊ) /

noun plural -goes

a wild dog, Canis dingo, of Australia, having a yellowish-brown coat and resembling a wolf

Australian slang a cheat or coward

verb -goes, -going or -goed (intr) Australian slang

to act in a cowardly manner
to drop out of something

(foll by on) to let (someone) down

Word Origin for dingo

C18: native Australian name

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

dingo

Origin of dingo

Words nearby dingo

Words related to dingo

How to use dingo in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dingo

Word Origin for dingo