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
Tim Sullivan
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
Kopelman was known as a shrewd, hard-nosed businessman and savvy marketer with a sense of humor who endeared himself to the industry with his clever takes on the standards of marketing lingo and his uncanny impersonations of department store figures.
—Lisa Lockwood, WWD, 8 Oct. 2024
That the World—Shaker lingo for non-Shakers—knows so little about gift drawings today is no shock; more surprising is that the Shakers seem not to have known much else.
—Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
Most of the Culver Cup finalists have some sort of filmmaking background or education, which has clearly given them a leg up in terms of the technical processes and general lingo involved in creation.
—Marah Eakin, WIRED, 17 Oct. 2024
There is a guide to the scoring system; a look at players’ pre-match self-care rituals; a list of tennis lingo; and the players’ favorite shops on and off the Wimbledon grounds.
—Hikmat Mohammed, WWD, 4 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for lingo 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Lisa Lockwood, WWD, 8 Oct. 2024
That the World—Shaker lingo for non-Shakers—knows so little about gift drawings today is no shock; more surprising is that the Shakers seem not to have known much else.
—Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
Most of the Culver Cup finalists have some sort of filmmaking background or education, which has clearly given them a leg up in terms of the technical processes and general lingo involved in creation.
—Marah Eakin, WIRED, 17 Oct. 2024
There is a guide to the scoring system; a look at players’ pre-match self-care rituals; a list of tennis lingo; and the players’ favorite shops on and off the Wimbledon grounds.
—Hikmat Mohammed, WWD, 4 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for lingo
Dictionary Entries Near lingo
Cite this Entry
“Lingo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lingo. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share