Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

gringo

noun
grin·​go | \ ˈgriŋ-(ˌ)gō \
plural gringos

Definition of gringo

often disparaging
: a foreigner in Spain or Latin America especially when of English or American origin broadly : a non-Hispanic person

First Known Use of gringo

1849, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for gringo

Spanish, alteration of griego Greek, stranger, from Latin Graecus Greek

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about gringo

Statistics for gringo

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for gringo

The first known use of gringo was in 1849

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More from Merriam-Webster on gringo

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with gringo

Spanish Central: Translation of gringo

Britannica English: Translation of gringo for Arabic Speakers

Comments on gringo

What made you want to look up gringo? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

substantive

important, real, or meaningful

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Homophone Quiz

  • three-bears-two-of-them-look-like-theyre-whispering-to-a-third-bear-who-looks-chuffed-to-be-the-center-of-attention
  • In order to judge how people felt, the senator's office hired a firm to take a ______.
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games