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hippo

1 American  
[hip-oh] / ˈhɪp oʊ /

noun

Informal.

plural

hippos

  1. hippopotamus.

Hippo 2 American  
[hip-oh] / ˈhɪp oʊ /

noun

  1. Hippo Regius.

hippo- 3 American  

  1. a combining form appearing in loanwords from Greek, where it meant “horse” (hippodrome ); on this model, used in the formation of compound words (hippology ).

hippo British  
/ ˈhɪpəʊ /

noun

  1. short for hippopotamus

  2. an armoured police car

"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 hippo1

By shortening

Origin of hippo-3

< Greek: combining form of híppos; cognate with Latin equus, Old Irish ech, Old English eoh, Sanskrit aśvas, Lithuanian ašvà

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.

Sotheby’s expected its Lalanne hippo copper bar cart to sell for up to $10 million last month.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025

Goat, hippo and duck-shaped hot air balloons floated in clear blue skies over war-ravaged Myanmar this week in a rare opportunity for escapism.

From Barron's • Nov. 1, 2025

"Therefore, we should re-analyze other continental European hippo fossils traditionally attributed to the last interglacial period."

From Science Daily • Oct. 26, 2025

They are typically created to capitalise on social media trends or viral memes - such as for internet-famous pygmy hippo Moo Deng.

From BBC • Jul. 14, 2025

It was much more frightening than any hippo.

From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall

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.