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• hippo
  hippo

  noun

  hippopotamus.
• Hippo
  Hippo

  noun

  Hippo Regius.
• hippo-
  hippo-

  a combining form appearing in loanwords from Greek, where it meant “horse” (hippodrome ); on this model, used in the formation of compound words (hippology ).

hippo

¹ American  

[hip-oh] / ˈhɪp oʊ /

noun

Informal.

hippos plural

1. hippopotamus.

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Hippo ² American  

[hip-oh] / ˈhɪp oʊ /

noun

1. Hippo Regius.

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hippo- ³ American  

1. a combining form appearing in loanwords from Greek, where it meant “horse” (hippodrome ); on this model, used in the formation of compound words (hippology ).

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hippo British  

/ ˈhɪpəʊ /

noun

1. short for hippopotamus

2. an armoured police car

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hippos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hippo¹

By shortening

Origin of hippo-³

< Greek: combining form of híppos; cognate with Latin equus, Old Irish ech, Old English eoh, Sanskrit aśvas, Lithuanian ašvà

Explanation

A hippo is a very large African mammal that lives both in and out of the water. Adult hippos can weigh well over 3,000 pounds. Hippos are the third-largest land mammals (after elephants and rhinos), and of the three, they are by far the most aggressive and territorial. These gray, hairless, barrel-shaped animals resemble enormous pigs, but they're more closely related to whales and dolphins. Hippo is shorthand for hippopotamus, a word that derives from the Greek ho hippos potamios, "the horse of the river."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hippo Hippo hippo- hippos

McDonald’s soon followed, launching in 1979 its Happy Meal, which came with a free circus animal trinket — a lion, elephant, hippo or bear.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026

After being rescued, the baby hippo spent its first night at a nursery in the capital Nairobi, being fed on milk and swaddled in a blanket.

From BBC ● May 6, 2026

Sotheby’s expected its Lalanne hippo copper bar cart to sell for up to $10 million last month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 17, 2025

Goat, hippo and duck-shaped hot air balloons floated in clear blue skies over war-ravaged Myanmar this week in a rare opportunity for escapism.

From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2025

“Did you take the hippo with you when you escaped?”

From "Son" by Lois Lowry

In northeastern Annaba -- formerly the ancient Roman city of Hippo -- Leo will visit vestiges of the city's historical past, as well as a reception centre run by Catholic nuns for impoverished elderly people.

From Barron's ● Apr. 14, 2026

She has also conducted workshops and sold merchandise — from art prints to T-shirts to washi tape — at such spots as Leanna Lin’s Wonderland, Popkiller and Pygmy Hippo Shoppe.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026

He abandoned his secular ambitions, returned to Africa and became the bishop of the city of Hippo Regius.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025

Astro-JJR Hippo Suzuki rider Richardson grew up in the town of Lower Hutt, just north of Wellington on New Zealand's north Island, before moving to the UK.

From BBC ● May 6, 2025

It will be remembered that it had taken two and a half days to make the journey to Makanda from Hippo Pool.

From The Fire-Gods A Tale of the Congo by Gilson, Charles

Lastly, he was to wind them up by appearing in his favourite character of Mr. William Button, of Tooley Street, in 'the highly novel and laughable hippo- comedietta of The Tailor's Journey to Brentford.'

From Hard Times by Dickens, Charles

The prefix hippo- comes from the Greek word for "horse".

From The Faerie Queene — Volume 01 by Spenser, Edmund

Both are expected to be released when they grow up to join other hippos living in the wild.

From BBC ● May 6, 2026

Fishing communities along the Magdalena River have come under attack by hippos - one of the largest land animals, with adult males weighing up to three tonnes.

From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026

“The hippos are mimetic. It’s little bit of a reflection of society with dark, absurdist humor,” said Dedo Vabo’s Derek Doublin.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026

Fossil pollen and remains of grass-eating animals such as hippos indicate that savanna plants dominated the region tens of thousands of years ago, rather than dense forests.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 1, 2026

The hot African sun felt good on my skin after the long winter in New York, and we gawked at hippos, rhinos, giraffes, and zebras.

From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana