taco

American  

[tah-koh, tah-kaw] / ˈtɑ koʊ, ˈtɑ kɔ /

noun

tacos plural

1. Mexican Cooking. a tortilla filled with various ingredients, as beans, rice, chopped meat, cheese, and tomatoes, and folded over in half or rolled into a loose cylinder shape: The downside of hard-shell tacos is that you can’t fit as much stuff in a fried tortilla.

   My favorite breakfast taco has eggs, bacon, and cheese on a flour tortilla.

   The downside of hard-shell tacos is that you can’t fit as much stuff in a fried tortilla.

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taco British  

/ ˈtɑːkəʊ /

noun

1. Mexican cookery a tortilla folded into a roll with a filling and usually fried

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tacos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of taco

First recorded in 1930–35; from Mexican Spanish; perhaps a shortening of taco de minero “miner’s plug,” from the resemblance of the food to an explosive charge used in silver mines, from Spanish taco “wad, plug, wedge”; further origin uncertain

Compare meaning

How does taco compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• taco vs. burrito

Explanation

When you wrap a tortilla around a delicious filling, that's a taco. Traditional tacos are usually made with spicy, seasoned meat and garnishes like salsa and avocado — but these days, people put all kinds of things in tacos. Tacos were invented in Mexico before the Spanish arrived. In Mexican Spanish, taco means "light meal," but also "wedge" or "plug." Experts have made guesses about the indigenous roots of taco (like the Nahuatl word tlahco, "half" or "in the middle"), but this connection hasn't been proven. Today when you order a taco, it might come on a soft or crunchy fried tortilla, and be filled with meat, fish, vegetables, beans, cheese, or even tofu.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

taco tacos

“I had a chalupa yesterday to celebrate taco Tuesday. It had lettuce on it. Do I now have Cyclospora parasite incubating in my body?” one commenter wrote.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

He used to stop at Buc-ee’s to gas up and get a brisket taco, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

“You’ll find the guy who’s saved up three months to be able to splurge for one day and the couple for whom money means nothing,” Castillo continued as my brisket taco arrived.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026

The taco stand about 100 yards off had its normal self-sustaining line.

From Slate ● Jun. 3, 2026

Everyone stared at her—except for Leo, who had constructed a pinwheel out of aluminum foil taco wrappers and was sticking it into passing wind spirits.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

Barton let him in on a less popular trip that involved a great swimming hole, fish tacos at Whoa Nellie Deli, an adventure around Mono Lake and a drive through a stunning mountain pass.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

Martinez said Monday that attacks against street vendors have become too common, adding that the purveyors of bacon-wrapped hot dogs, churros and tacos deserve the same respect as anyone else.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026

In the episode, Celenza uses the two for a breakfast sandwich, but mayo and hot sauce can be used in a multitude of meals: sandwiches, salads, marinades, hamburgers, tacos… do I need to keep going?

From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2026

Open a delivery app today, and a local slice shop sits beside Domino’s, competing for attention with tacos and wings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

So far she’d suggested tacos, salmon with spinach, shepherd’s pie, and lasagna, and we’d gathered the ingredients for each.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson