lingo

noun

lin·​go ˈliŋ-(ˌ)gō 

plural lingos or lingoes

: strange or incomprehensible language or speech: such as

a

: a foreign language

It can be hard to travel in a foreign country if you don't speak the lingo.

b

: the special vocabulary of a particular field of interest

The book has a lot of computer lingo.

c

: language characteristic of an individual

He has his own lingo … and at the top of each shift, he delivers a monologue that sets the table for his show.

—Tim Sullivan

Synonyms

• vocabulary
• language
• tongue
• dialect
• idiom

Examples of lingo in a Sentence

It can be hard to travel in a foreign country if you don't speak the lingo.

The book has a lot of computer lingo that I don't understand.

Recent Examples on the Web

Her vocabulary and that of her staff have been upgraded with Norwegian football lingo. —Megan Feringa, New York Times, 2 July 2025

Wimbledon’s already feeding tennis lingo into its own AI. —Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025

Woman's Way Of Emulating Men At Work Goes Viral: 'Makeup Metaphors' By Melissa Fleur Afshar Life and Trends Reporter Newsweek Is A Trust Project Member news article 0 A TikTok creator's wry take on modern corporate lingo through the lens of beauty culture has struck a chord with viewers online. —Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 May 2025

The aforementioned Vox story spends time unearthing the history of climate havens lingo as city council marketing tools. —Ryleigh Nucilli, Outside Online, 2 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably from Lingua Franca, language, tongue, from Occitan, from Latin lingua — more at tongue

First Known Use

1659, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lingo

• bingo
• dingo
• gringo
• flamingo

Kids Definition

lingo

noun

lin·​go ˈliŋ-gō 

plural lingoes

: language that is strange or hard to understand