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

• language
• mother tongue
• speech
• tongue
• vocabulary

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

The product, Women’s Sports Audience Intelligence and Monetization System, is designed to use fan insights to offer first-party audience segments—marketing lingo for direct access to groups of users with similar characteristics. —Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 26 Mar. 2025

Unfortunately, the Duchess of Sussex, 43, doesn't immediately pick up on the lingo. —Meredith Kile, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025

The doppelgänger just needs to look the part and learn some basic lingo. —Mike Miller, EW.com, 29 Jan. 2025

Meteorologist Brittany Rainey breaks down winter weather lingo 00:57 Nearly 17,000 Kentucky Utilities customers were in the dark. —Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 6 Jan. 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