Bongo

UK: /ˈbɒŋɡəʊ/ US: /ˈbɑŋgoʊ, ˈbɔŋ-/ ,(bong′gō, bông′-)

Inflections of 'bongo' (n):

bongos

npl (All usages)

bongoes

npl (For the drum)

bongo

npl (Can be used as a collective plural for the antelope—e.g. "There were antelope grazing under the trees.")

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Bongo / ˈbɒŋɡəʊ/ noun

1. Omar, original name Albert Bernard Bongo. 1935–2009, Gabonese statesman; president of Gabon (1967–2009)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

bon•go² /ˈbɑŋgoʊ, ˈbɔŋ-/   n. [countable] , pl. -gos, -goes. 

1. Music and Dance one of a pair of small drums, played by beating with the fingers:
   musicians playing bongos.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

bon•go¹  (bong′gō, bông′-), n., pl. -gos, (esp. collectively) -go. 

1. a reddish-brown antelope, Taurotragus eurycerus, of the forests of tropical Africa, having white stripes and large, spirally twisted horns.

• a Bantu language; compare Lingala mongu an antelope
• probably 1860–65

bon•go²  (bong′gō, bông′-), n., pl. -gos, -goes. 

1. Music and Dance one of a pair of small tuned drums, played by beating with the fingers. Also called bon′go drum′. 

• American Spanish bongó
• 1915–20, American.

bon′go•ist, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

bongo / ˈbɒŋɡəʊ/ noun ( -go, -gos)

1. a rare spiral-horned antelope, Boocercus (or Taurotragus) eurycerus, inhabiting forests of central Africa. The coat is bright red-brown with narrow cream stripes

Etymology: of African origin

bongo / ˈbɒŋɡəʊ/ noun ( -gos, -goes)

1. a small bucket-shaped drum, usually one of a pair, played by beating with the fingers

Etymology: American Spanish, probably of imitative origin