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Lingala

American

[ling-gah-luh] / lɪŋˈgɑ lə /

noun

a Bantu language used as a lingua franca in the N Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Lingala British

/ ˌlɪŋˈɡɑːlə /

noun

a Bantu language which is spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, and Angola

"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

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.

He arrived with the ability to speak three languages — French, Swahili and Lingala.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026

Mupepe, who is from Congo and speaks Lingala, said through a translator her primary concern is for her son to go back to school.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 5, 2024

The crowd cheered again when the Argentine pope greeted them in Lingala, one of four national languages of Congo that is widely spoken in the capital, Kinshasa.

From Washington Times • Feb. 1, 2023

Ten of the new additions are in Africa, including Lingala, Twi and Tigrinya.

From BBC • May 11, 2022

In three languages: Radio France, the BBC, and Mobutu’s Lingala newscasts from Léopoldville, the news was all one.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023