bon·go
ˈbäŋ-(ˌ)gō 
ˈbȯŋ-
plural bongos also bongoes
: one of a pair of small connected drums of different sizes and pitches played with the hands
plural bongo or bongos
: an African antelope (Tragelaphus eurycerus) that is chestnut red with narrow white vertical stripes and is found in forests from Sierra Leone to Kenya
Examples of bongo in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Solcyré Burga, TIME, 14 Jan. 2025
Nyota, a 2-year-old Eastern bongo arrived in Milwaukee from the Dallas Zoo on Oct. 26, 2023.
—Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 30 Dec. 2024
And yet, probably the funniest thing about this Blood Brothers thing is how the audience seems to be staring past a half-dozen actual musicians to the legend standing in back, nonchalantly poking at bongos, looking lost at times, picking over a table full of shakers.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 4 Jan. 2025
In happier news, the zoo welcomed several animals through birth or transfers from other zoos, including three Eastern bongos, a critically endangered species, and a silverback gorilla to complete a family unit.
—Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 30 Dec. 2024
Phoenix and London then bang on a tiny bongo drum as Hilton laughs.
—Toria Sheffield, People.com, 16 Dec. 2024
During his Costa Rican retreat, Rogers—wearing flip-flops, bags under his eyes, unshaven and smiling—gently taps a bongo.
—Sean Gregory, TIME, 16 Dec. 2024
There's an uncanny, alien quality to her voice, which unfurls like incense smoke, while the track's speckled bongos and subtle chimes glint like light reflected off a cocktail glass.
—EW.com, 14 Dec. 2024
Currently, Groot spends alternate days in the bongos' outdoor habitat, rotating his time with the zoo's four female Eastern bongos.
—Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2024
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Noun
Salsa itself, which bears Cuban roots but was further developed by Puerto Ricans in New York City, is also in part sustained by dancers who revel in the trombones and bongos that nourish the popular tunes.
—Solcyré Burga, TIME, 14 Jan. 2025
Nyota, a 2-year-old Eastern bongo arrived in Milwaukee from the Dallas Zoo on Oct. 26, 2023.
—Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 30 Dec. 2024
And yet, probably the funniest thing about this Blood Brothers thing is how the audience seems to be staring past a half-dozen actual musicians to the legend standing in back, nonchalantly poking at bongos, looking lost at times, picking over a table full of shakers.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 4 Jan. 2025
In happier news, the zoo welcomed several animals through birth or transfers from other zoos, including three Eastern bongos, a critically endangered species, and a silverback gorilla to complete a family unit.
—Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 30 Dec. 2024
Phoenix and London then bang on a tiny bongo drum as Hilton laughs.
—Toria Sheffield, People.com, 16 Dec. 2024
During his Costa Rican retreat, Rogers—wearing flip-flops, bags under his eyes, unshaven and smiling—gently taps a bongo.
—Sean Gregory, TIME, 16 Dec. 2024
There's an uncanny, alien quality to her voice, which unfurls like incense smoke, while the track's speckled bongos and subtle chimes glint like light reflected off a cocktail glass.
—EW.com, 14 Dec. 2024
Currently, Groot spends alternate days in the bongos' outdoor habitat, rotating his time with the zoo's four female Eastern bongos.
—Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2024
Dictionary Entries Near bongo
Cite this Entry
“Bongo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bongo. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.
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