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 of lingo

• 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

Part of the movie is set in New York’s downtown clubland and Firstman uses all kinds of lingo to describe various narcotics. —Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 13 May 2026

If all of that body-happy lingo sounds a little redundant, there’s an exclamation point at the end of it. —Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 4 May 2026

In business lingo, a friendly takeover is any merger or acquisition in which the management of one company willingly allows its absorption into another company. —Carlos Eire, Time, 23 Apr. 2026

That’s thanks to temporary street names representing teams in the men's college basketball Final Four, teams in the Division II and III championships, teams in the National Invitational Tournament championship, former national champions crowned in Indy and other college tournament lingo. —Heather Bushman, IndyStar, 1 Apr. 2026

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