bingo

bingo — noun

IPA/ˈbɪŋɡəʊ/
KK[bˈɪŋɡo]IPA/ˈbɪŋɡəʊ/

1. a prize game where players mark a numbered card as chance decides which numbers

1.nounB1
Definition

a prize game where players mark a numbered card as chance decides which numbers are called, aiming to complete a winning line or pattern.

Example

Every Friday, Mrs. Wu plays bingo at the church hall with her neighbors.

play bingo + place

The summer fair raised money by running bingo after the cake sale.

run bingo as a fundraising event

Common collocations
  • play bingo
  • bingo card
  • bingo caller
  • win at bingo
  • a game of bingo
Synonyms
  • keno

    a similar number-marking game, but more strongly linked with casinos and gambling

  • lottery

    broader prize draw; players do not usually mark a card as numbers are called

  • raffle

    a prize draw using numbered tickets rather than a grid of numbers

Grammar Patterns

play bingo

a game of bingo

Usage Note

Usually uncountable after 'play'. Use countable wording mainly in phrases such as 'a game of bingo' or when talking about different bingo events.

Common Mistakes

We played a bingo after dinner.
We played bingo after dinner.
the game name usually has no article after 'play'.
She shouted bingos when she won.
She shouted Bingo! when she won.
the winning cry is the word itself, not a plural noun.

2. an informal British word for a hall or club used for bingo sessions.

2.nounB2
Definition

an informal British word for a hall or club used for bingo sessions.

Example

After dinner, Nora's aunt walked to the bingo for the evening session.

go to the bingo = go to a bingo hall

A new bingo opened beside the bus station last winter.

countable use for the venue

Common collocations
  • go to the bingo
  • local bingo
  • new bingo
  • work at a bingo
Synonyms
  • bingo hall

    the plain standard term for the building

  • bingo club

    often suggests a regular local place with members or regular visitors

Grammar Patterns

go to the bingo

work at a bingo

Usage Note

Mostly British and informal, often heard with 'the': 'go to the bingo'. Distinguish from sense 1, which names the game rather than the building.

Common Mistakes

My uncle goes to bingo every night
My uncle goes to the bingo every night.
in this venue sense, British English often uses 'the'.

3. a humorous label for a situation where the same kind of word, idea, or behavior

3.nounC1
Definition

a humorous label for a situation where the same kind of word, idea, or behavior keeps appearing, as if people were ticking a card each time it happened.

Example

By noon, the meeting had turned into jargon bingo, with 'vision' on every slide.

pattern: [noun] bingo

Viewers played apology bingo during the interview and marked each new sorry.

play + [noun] bingo

Common collocations
  • jargon bingo
  • buzzword bingo
  • apology bingo
  • play excuse bingo
Synonyms
  • checklist

    a plain list of items to tick off, without the humorous critical tone

  • scorecard

    a more neutral record sheet used for keeping track of repeated items

  • spotting game

    describes the activity of noticing repeated things, but sounds less sarcastic

Grammar Patterns

[noun] bingo

play [noun] bingo

Usage Note

Usually follows a descriptive noun such as 'jargon', 'buzzword', or 'apology'. Common in joking criticism, especially of speeches, meetings, and online talk.

Common Mistakes

The speech was bingo.
The speech turned into jargon bingo.
this sense normally needs a noun before 'bingo' to show what is being repeated.
We played bingo of excuses.
We played excuse bingo.
the usual pattern is '[type] bingo', not 'bingo of'.

bingo — exclamation

IPA/ˈbɪŋ.ɡəʊ/
KK[bˈɪŋɡo]IPA/ˈbɪŋ.ɡoʊ/

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Bingo' is a number game where players actively mark a card while numbers are called. A 'lottery' is broader: you usually buy a ticket and wait for the winning numbers, without taking part during the draw. A 'raffle' is also a prize draw, but it normally uses numbered tickets and is often run at a school fair, club event, or charity night. 'Keno' is the closest to bingo because it also uses numbers, but it is more closely tied to casinos, gambling, and betting money. So you play bingo in a hall or at a party, buy tickets for a raffle, enter a lottery, and place bets in keno.

bingo ↗lottery ↗rafflekeno ↗

Etymology

English

The game name probably grew out of the American word 'beano', an earlier number game in which players marked cards with beans. In the early 20th century, the winning cry shifted to 'bingo', and that excited shout then became the name of the game itself. The modern exclamation still keeps that sense of suddenly getting the right result.