Oromo
Americannoun
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a member of a nomadic, pastoral people of Ethiopia and Kenya.
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the Cushitic language of the Oromo.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of Oromo
First recorded in 1865–70; from Oromo; perhaps from ormu “men,” a self-designation
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:
Irreecha is celebrated by the Oromo, Ethiopia's largest ethnic group, and takes place at the end of the country's main rainy season.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2025
The rebels are known as the Oromo Liberation Army, an outlawed splinter group of the Oromo Liberation Front that was formerly a banned opposition party.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 21, 2023
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced the talks with the Oromo Liberation Army, or OLA, on Sunday at an event to celebrate a cease-fire, signed in November, with another rebel group from the northern Tigray region.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 25, 2023
Oromos, who account for more than a third of Ethiopia's 110 million people, hoped their lot would improve under Abiy, whose father is Oromo.
From Reuters ● Apr. 25, 2023
Great among the Oromo is the veneration for the old.
From Folkways A Study of the Sociological Importance of Usages, Manners, Customs, Mores, and Morals by Sumner, William Graham
Although the Irreecha has its roots in indigenous faith systems, it is now observed by the majority of Oromos, regardless of their religion.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2025
Residents said the victims were ethnic Amharas, while the prime minister’s spokeswoman said they included ethnic Oromos, Amharas and Gumuz.
From Reuters ● Aug. 4, 2023
Al-Shabab has trained several thousand fighters for its Ethiopian “command,” mainly ethnic Somalis and Oromos inside Ethiopia, Bryden asserted.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 5, 2022
What spurred him into action was an advert in the Oromia region, where most Oromos live as the country is divided into ethnically based states.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2022
Although Mr. Abiy, whose father is Oromo, rode to power in 2018 on a wave of street protests led by angry young Oromos, many in that movement now say that he betrayed their cause.
From New York Times ● Nov. 25, 2021
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.
