1
as in vocabulary
the stock of words, pronunciation, and grammar used by a people as their basic means of communication
medical missionaries struggling to learn the lingo of the African tribe that they were treating
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in terminology
the special terms or expressions of a particular group or field
the shorthand medical lingo that the hospital staffers use with one another
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lingo
The enormous balloons, floats, and balloonicles (balloon + vehicle) as they are known in parade lingo, are the biggest draw to the parade though.
—
Kara Nesvig, Parents, 26 Nov. 2025
Yin speaks the language, not just Chinese, but the business and cultural lingo.
—Denni Hu, Footwear News, 17 Oct. 2025
News of the White House’s softening stance prompted Wall Street to claw back about half of Friday’s losses—a narrative that is becoming par for the course (to leverage the lingo of the president’s favorite pastime).
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 13 Oct. 2025
The staff is brisk, used to locals ordering with a shorthand as precise as Philly cheesesteak lingo, and the souvlaki itself is unlike anywhere else in Athens—simple, spicy, smoky, and closer to kebab than the standard style.
—Katherine Whittaker, Saveur, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lingo
Kara Nesvig, Parents, 26 Nov. 2025
Yin speaks the language, not just Chinese, but the business and cultural lingo.
—Denni Hu, Footwear News, 17 Oct. 2025
News of the White House’s softening stance prompted Wall Street to claw back about half of Friday’s losses—a narrative that is becoming par for the course (to leverage the lingo of the president’s favorite pastime).
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 13 Oct. 2025
The staff is brisk, used to locals ordering with a shorthand as precise as Philly cheesesteak lingo, and the souvlaki itself is unlike anywhere else in Athens—simple, spicy, smoky, and closer to kebab than the standard style.
—Katherine Whittaker, Saveur, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lingo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lingo
Noun
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Americans argued fiercely about whether to intervene abroad, but largely shared the same moral vocabulary.—
Philip Martin,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026
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Regular reading leads to positive impacts on your mental and emotional well-being, including slowing down cognitive decline, bolstering empathy and curiosity, improving your vocabulary and reducing stress.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
2 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Which means that their terminology won't disappear anytime soon.—
Mariyam Muhammad,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
30 Dec. 2025
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This Trumpian newspeak about Germany — to use George Orwell’s term for the distorted terminology of authoritarians — reveals an indifference to (or ignorance of) history that endangers not only Europe but the United States.—
Trudy Rubin,
Mercury News,
20 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Nationally, median early career wages range from $40,000 for a foreign language degree to $80,000 for a computer science degree, according to an analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.—
Marissa Meador,
IndyStar,
9 Jan. 2026
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Administration officials have cut that time roughly in half, partly by eliminating Spanish-language courses.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Though the Norn language has gone, the local dialect remains distinctive, as fans of the BBC detective show Shetland will know.—
Sarah Moss,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Jan. 2026
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Language classes, which previously covered only a specific dialect of Spanish, have been replaced with robust translation and interpretation services that apply to multiple languages.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Heather is accused of hiding behind her humor, Lisa of hiding behind materialistic things, and Angie of hiding behind her sharp tongue, for example.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
7 Jan. 2026
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After turning the lock with his teeth and tongue, Dawson pushes open the front door and walks out into the night.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The speed at which Gen Alpha has been churning out new, often nonsensical, slang has been fast and furious throughout 2025.—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
31 Dec. 2025
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What other slang does Gen Alpha use?—
Mariyam Muhammad,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
30 Dec. 2025
Noun
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There’s this Douglas Adams joke that in no language is there the idiom as pretty as an airport.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
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As a substitute, the board selected local architect William Pereira, who, never fully at ease with a modernist idiom, hewed to the middlebrow tastes and conservative politics of California’s philanthropic parvenus.—
Michaëla de Lacaze Mohrmann,
Artforum,
1 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lingo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lingo. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
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