VocabauraVOCABAURA

lingo

noun

Simple meaning

A characteristic language of a particular group.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

linggoh

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈlɪŋɡoʊ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. informal

    A characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves)

  2. informal

    Language, especially language peculiar to a particular group, field, or region; jargon or a dialect.

  3. informalAustralian Aboriginal

    An Aboriginal language.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C1 · Advanced (estimated)
Frequency
Uncommon
Typical Use
Primarily written

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves)

Used this way, lingo is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It turns up most in everyday conversation and social media or informal writing contexts.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Casual
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Playful
Usage feel
Casual and conversational

Where it naturally appears

  • Everyday conversation
  • Social media/informal writing

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use lingo

  • “They don't speak our lingo.”noun

Share your sentence

Write your own example sentence using “lingo”. We review each one before it appears.

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

local lingousing lingonew lingocomputer lingouse lingolingo commandlingo codelingo scripting

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves)

jargonargotvernacularslang

Use This Word

See how this word sounds in a real sentence.

Ask Vocabaura

Understand the word your way.

What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Use it yourself

Knowing “lingo” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.

Know the meaning? Practice using it in a real situation, free, no credits.

Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.