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.

The majority of the new students speak Portuguese, Spanish, French and Lingala, the language of northwest Congo.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 26, 2024

A discussion ensued, “and immediately, when Chris started singing in Lingala, it felt good — it felt right,” explained Attwell.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 29, 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

They used dazzling guitars and sang in Lingala, the language of the capital, Kinshasa, or French.

From BBC • Dec. 16, 2022

Her French wasn’t very good, so she spoke in Lingala.

From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer

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