adjective
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slang insane
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(of an animal) affected with loco disease
noun
verb
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to poison with locoweed
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slang to make insane
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of loco
1835–45, < Spanish: insane
Explanation
If someone calls you loco, it means they think you're nutty or eccentric. Your friends will think your dog is completely loco if she spends hours every day chasing her own tail. You can use the slang term loco when you're commenting on the craziness or irrationality of a person or situation. You might say, for example: "This meeting is totally loco — everyone's talking at the same time!" Loco comes from American English, which borrowed it from the Spanish loco, "insane." Its roots are uncertain, but it may stem from the Arabic lauqa, "fool."
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:
This is a place that has driven the Three Lions absolutely loco.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
"The loco pilot, on observing the herd of elephants, applied emergency brakes. However, elephants dashed with the train," he said.
From Barron's ● Dec. 20, 2025
It’s been bien loco, like I say in the song.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2025
Near Pike Place Market is Musubi Kai, doing Pacific Island rice bowls like poke and loco moco along with a dozen riffs on Spam musubi.
From Seattle Times ● May 4, 2024
“So your pelo loco, like clippings of grass, will not disarrange this house,” she says.
From "Beast Rider" by Tony Johnston & María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads
Someone who prefers potatoes is getting way less for their money than someone who’s locos for Doritos.
From The Verge ● Jan. 6, 2022
Should you eat the papas bravas the same night as the chicharrones locos, you may wish they did not both depend on the pineapple hot sauce and the cashew cream.
From New York Times ● Jul. 28, 2015
And it looks like vegan chicharrones locos at El Rey.
From New York Times ● Jul. 28, 2015
It doesn't matter if you're a goofy-foot or a regular-foot, if you've recently been married, are a loner, or are a family man-you're insane in the membrane, and olas locos is what you're after.
From Time Magazine Archive
"Beat, by thunder!" roared the locos, in grand chorus; and in the modern classics of the Bowery, "they wasn't any thing else."
From The Humors of Falconbridge A Collection of Humorous and Every Day Scenes by Falconbridge
Moreover, he is locoed and has other defects.
From Time Magazine Archive
"He's acting like a locoed thoroughbred that's gone outlaw," he said.
From The Real Man by Francis Lynde
Oh, yes," agreed the girl, "there's not a doubt but that she's plumb locoed!
From Hope Hathaway A Story of Western Ranch Life by Frances Parker
“He acts like he was locoed to me,” declared Felix Burns, the horse wrangler, who, much to his disgust, had to “act in them fool pitchers” as well as handle the stock for the outfit.
From Ruth Fielding In the Saddle College Girls in the Land of Gold by Alice B. Emerson
We mustn't mind if the Chief does act a little locoed, ma'am.
From The Trail of Conflict by Emilie Baker Loring
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