- a variation of lingoe.
lingo
1 Americannoun
-
the language and speech, especially the jargon, slang, or argot, of a particular field, group, or individual.
gamblers' lingo.
-
language or speech, especially if strange or foreign.
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of lingo
1650–60; apparently alteration of lingua (franca); compare Polari lingo “language”
Explanation
Lingo is a way of speaking that's shared by a particular group of people — it's their own personal slang or jargon. You might observe International Talk Like a Pirate Day by trying to speak only pirate lingo. Sometimes people refer to the language or dialect spoken in a place as its lingo: "I'd love to visit Paris, but I don't speak the lingo." You're more likely to hear lingo in the context of the words and phrases one group understands, but that outsiders might not, like computer lingo or English major lingo, or musician's lingo. Lingo shares a Latin root, lingua, or "tongue," with words like language and linguist.
Vocabulary lists containing lingo
Vivacious Vernacular: Words About Slang
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Wink
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Merle Haggard (1937-2016) Tribute List
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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 word “hawk” in Fed lingo is associated with senior officials committed to raising rates to tamp down inflation, even if it means some damage to the economy, such as rising unemployment.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
Hewlett Packard went public in 1957, and “Silicon Valley” soon entered the lingo as a term for big tech and big valuations.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
If the Labour Party is up the creek without a paddle after last week, to revert to Yank lingo, it also finds itself in an anomalous position.
From Salon ● May 10, 2026
There's a lot of astro-jargon involved in space missions, and TLI is the latest space lingo many of those following this mission have come to know.
From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2026
One of the first things needed when you begin the study of any subject is a little introduction to the "lingo."
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
Every child suffering from warts usually passes through the stage of charms and lingoes which are popularly used to remove these disagreeable growths.
From The Mother and Her Child by Sadler, William S.
"Gosh, he can nearly keep still in two lingoes," thought Mr. Cassidy.
From Hopalong Cassidy's Rustler Round-Up by Mulford, Clarence Edward
What a sad neglect in our education, among all the acquired lingoes extant, to have overlooked the Gaelic!
From Recreations of Christopher North, Volume I (of 2) by Wilson, John Lyde
This is the history of many such lingoes; but unfortunately Owen’s opinion, even if it be legendary, will not prove that the Painted People spoke the Shelta tongue.
From The Gypsies by Leland, Charles Godfrey
"All the lingoes you ever heard of are talked in Brest," said the Dutchman.
From The Noank's Log A Privateer of the Revolution by Stoddard, W. O.
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.
