bongo

1 of 2

noun (1)

bon·​go ˈbäŋ-(ˌ)gō How to pronounce bongo (audio)
ˈbȯŋ-
plural bongos also bongoes
: one of a pair of small connected drums of different sizes and pitches played with the hands
bongoist noun

bongo

2 of 2

noun (2)

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
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Noun
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 Forest buffalo, blue duikers, sitatungas and even bongos—forest-dwelling antelopes worshipped as spirits by area inhabitants—graze around bais. Zhengyang Wang, Scientific American, 2 Oct. 2024 And if all that's not enough for you, dig Jack Lemmon playing bongos as Gillian's hipster warlock brother. Gwen Ihnat, EW.com, 25 Sep. 2024 He's been recommended to breed and will eventually be introduced to the female Eastern bongos at the zoo. Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

American Spanish bongó

Noun (2)

probably from Kele (Bantu language of Gabon)

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1920, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1861, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bongo was in 1861

Dictionary Entries Near bongo

Cite this Entry

“Bongo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bongo. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

bongo

noun
bon·​go
ˈbäŋ-gō
plural bongos also bongoes
: either of a pair of small drums of different sizes fitted together and played with the fingers

More from Merriam-Webster on bongo

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