hippo

[ hip-oh ]

/ ˈhɪp oʊ /

Save This Word!

noun, plural hip·pos.Informal.

hippopotamus.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of hippo

By shortening

Other definitions for hippo (2 of 3)

Hippo

[ hip-oh ]

/ ˈhɪp oʊ /

noun

Hippo Regius.

Other definitions for hippo (3 of 3)

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).

Also especially before a vowel, hipp-.

Origin of hippo-

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

How to use hippo in a sentence

I'd never heard of a hippo attacking repeatedly like this, but he clearly wanted me dead.
Swallowed by a Hippo|Justin Green|May 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I swam towards Evans, but the hippo struck again, dragging me back under the surface.
Swallowed by a Hippo|Justin Green|May 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I called her “Hippo Girl,” and as I berated her I felt negative attention shift from me to her.
My Strange Passage From Suspected School Shooter to Prom Queen|Gina Tron|January 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A moment on the noise: the vuvuzela can only be described as a large animal — like a cow or a hippo — in labor.
Gal With a Suitcase|Jolie Hunt|July 10, 2010|DAILY BEAST

From time to time the slave-drivers would jog them along with a few lashes from a four-cornered "hippo" hide kiboko, or whip.
In Africa|John T. McCutcheon
This city is named from the ancient Hippo, out of whose ruins, a mile to the southward, it was largely built.
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 11, No. 24, March, 1873|Various
At a villa outside Hippo, St. Augustine passed three years in the company of eleven pious men.
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Carlisle|C. King Eley
Later, Harrisson proposed to accompany me as far as the Hippo depot, bringing the dogs and providing a supporting party.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
Here a depot of provisions and spare gear was made, sufficient to take us back to the Hippo.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson

British Dictionary definitions for hippo

hippo

/ (ˈhɪpəʊ) /

noun plural -pos informal

short for hippopotamus

Southern African an armoured police car

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