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• bongo
  bongo

  noun

  a reddish-brown antelope, Taurotragus eurycerus, of the forests of tropical Africa, having white stripes and large, spirally twisted horns.
• Bongo
  Bongo

  noun

  Omar . original name Albert Bernard Bongo . 1935–2009, Gabonese statesman; president of Gabon (1967–2009)

bongo

¹ American  

[bong-goh, bawng-] / ˈbɒŋ goʊ, ˈbɔŋ- /

noun

• bongos,
  plural
• bongo
  plural

1. a reddish-brown antelope, Taurotragus eurycerus, of the forests of tropical Africa, having white stripes and large, spirally twisted horns.

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bongo ² American  

[bong-goh, bawng-] / ˈbɒŋ goʊ, ˈbɔŋ- /

noun

• bongos,
  plural
• bongoes
  plural

1. one of a pair of small tuned drums, played by beating with the fingers.

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Bongo ¹ British  

/ ˈbɒŋɡəʊ /

noun

1. Omar . original name Albert Bernard Bongo . 1935–2009, Gabonese statesman; president of Gabon (1967–2009)

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bongo ² British  

/ ˈbɒŋɡəʊ /

noun

1. a rare spiral-horned antelope, Boocercus (or Taurotragus ) eurycerus , inhabiting forests of central Africa. The coat is bright red-brown with narrow cream stripes

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bongo ³ British  

/ ˈbɒŋɡəʊ /

noun

1. a small bucket-shaped drum, usually one of a pair, played by beating with the fingers

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bongoist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bongo
  plural
• bongoes
  plural
• bongos
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of bongo¹

1860–65; probably < a Bantu language; compare Lingala mongu an antelope

Origin of bongo²

An Americanism dating back to 1915–20; from Latin American Spanish (Puerto Rico) bongó

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bongo Bongo bongos

The song boasts Grupo Frontera’s traditional norteño sound, with the addition of their signature bongo of course.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2025

He settled for occasionally sitting in on bongo.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 20, 2023

In snippets from the Season 2 trailer, we see Misty dressed in purple, banging on a bongo alongside a bunch of Lottie's followers.

From Salon ● Apr. 7, 2023

He joyfully played a bongo drum and danced with performers at an event with union leaders.

From New York Times ● Nov. 7, 2021

Their instruments include an accordion, a bass guitar, a tuba, and bongo drums.

From "Wishtree" by Katherine Applegate

Instead, Bongo and her other cat Fifi are trained to paddleboard, kayak and walk with her.

From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2026

"Our Sunday vinyl sessions put a big focus on Teesside's music scene from the Rock Garden to the Bongo Club. We hope to do these again."

From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2026

He had succeeded his father Omar Bongo Ondimba, who ruled with an iron fist for nearly 42 years until his death in 2009.

From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2025

Ex-president Ali Bongo was toppled in a coup on August 30, 2023, which brought General Brice Oligui Nguema to power.

From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2025

I was in the midst of a conversation with Bongo, who had just pointed out to me that I was a year older.

From "Wishtree" by Katherine Applegate

Settles-Bey sways to the rhythm of the bongos on a recent Sunday in the park -- but nerves are still frayed.

From Barron's ● May 19, 2026

The first repatriation to Kenya was in 2004 when 18 mountain bongos were flown into the country.

From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026

The WBC allowed fans to bring in 16 “permissible instruments,” including bongos, cowbells, maracas and trumpets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026

It has some of the fewer than 100 remaining critically endangered mountain bongos in the world, alongside rhinos, elephants, buffaloes, lions, leopards and others.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 2, 2024

“Beatniks used to read poetry and play bongos on that stage.”

From "Small Steps" by Louis Sachar

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