Lao
noun
a member of a people of Laos and northern Thailand.
Lao
American
[lou]
/ laʊ /
noun
-
Laos,
plural
-
Lao
plural
-
a member of a people of Laos and northern Thailand.
-
the Tai language of the Lao.
adjective
LAO
1
British
abbreviation
Lao
2
British
/ laʊ /
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of Lao
First recorded in 1880–85; from Lao Láo, a self-designation
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 traditional Lao dipping sauces elevate nearly everything on the menu and taste just as good when you scoop them up with sticky rice.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
The ruling Lao People's Revolutionary Party has held power for more than 50 years.
From Barron's ● Feb. 20, 2026
Honworld Group, the holding company for cooking wine and soy sauce maker Lao Heng He in Zhejiang province, said household spending was weaker than expected, leading other brands to unload inventory at low prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026
On Monday, Lao media reported that they had found the body of a woman, named Pany Her.
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2025
Her indignation came to her in English, even as she recalled a Chinese saying, Lao xu cbeng nu — constant shame becomes anger.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
The LAO told MarketWatch that it had not yet estimated the potential benefits from SpaceX’s plans.
From MarketWatch ● May 19, 2026
Corporate tax collections are down 15% from last year, the fourth largest drop in the past 40 years, according to the LAO.
From Seattle Times ● May 9, 2024
The LAO analysis did not include a total cost estimate over the life of the bond, which will be determined in part based on when the bonds are sold and interest rates at that time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2024
Gabriel Petek, chief deputy legislative analyst with the LAO, said the report lays out a “serious budget problem.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 7, 2023
Page 79: LAS is suspected to be a typo for LAO, as this name occurs only once.
From The Heroic Enthusiasts (Gli Eroici Furori) Part the Second An Ethical Poem by Giordano Bruno
"Vietnam also wants to import more electricity from Laos to increase its leverage over Laos," part of a wider contest with China for influence in Vientiane, he said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
Laos has banned the import of gasoline cars altogether for the rest of the year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
The second species, Luffy nika, was found in Louang Namtha in northern Laos.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
Lee, who arrived in the United States as a refugee from Laos in 1980 and worked for years as a preschool teacher, said she loves watching her crops grow and handing them over to customers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
An even more drastic linguistic upheaval must have swept over tropical Southeast Asia to the south of China—in Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Peninsular Malaysia.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
