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Synonyms

lingo

1 American  
[ling-goh] / ˈlɪŋ goʊ /

noun

plural

lingoes

  1. the language and speech, especially the jargon, slang, or argot, of a particular field, group, or individual.

    gamblers' lingo.

  2. language or speech, especially if strange or foreign.

lingo 2 American  
[ling-goh] / ˈlɪŋ goʊ /

noun

plural

lingoes

  1. lingoe.

lingo British  
/ ˈlɪŋɡəʊ /

noun

  1. informal any foreign or unfamiliar language, jargon, etc

"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

Etymology

Origin of lingo

1650–60; apparently alteration of lingua (franca); compare Polari lingo “language”

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.

If business lingo annoys you, ping us with the details.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

Macroeconomists call such a scenario “indeterminacy” — economist lingo that simply means that key macroeconomic variables such as employment, output growth and inflation have no stable resting point.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 13, 2026

He's poured a metaphorical can of Australian beer over the novel by converting Tolstoy's prose into a lingo that wouldn't sound out of place in the popular Aussie sitcom Kath & Kim.

From BBC • Nov. 14, 2025

One widely-shared POV — internet lingo for “point of view” — video on TikTok shows a grumpy toddler striding officiously through an empty office.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2025

Pollard, in the lingo of jockeys, asked Seabiscuit the question.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

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.