bongo

IPA/ˈbɒŋɡəʊ/
KK[bˈɑŋɡˌo]IPA/ˈbɑːŋɡəʊ/

bongo — noun

1. either drum in a joined two-drum instrument that musicians strike with their fin

1.nounB2
Definition

either drum in a joined two-drum instrument that musicians strike with their fingers and palms.

Example

Tariq played the bongos beside the fire while his cousins sang.

play the bongos

At the street parade, Yuki carried bongos and kept the dancers moving.

carry and play bongos in performance

Common collocations
  • play the bongos
  • a pair of bongos
  • tap the bongos
  • bongo rhythms
Synonyms
  • hand drum

    a broader term for any drum played without sticks

  • conga

    a taller hand-played drum with a deeper sound, not the same paired instrument

  • percussion instrument

    a very broad category term rather than a close everyday substitute

Grammar Patterns

play the bongos

a pair of bongos

tap a bongo with your hands

Usage Note

In music talk, English often uses the plural the bongos when referring to the full paired instrument. The singular bongo usually points to one drum in the pair.

2. a shy antelope from central African forests, with a red-brown body, pale stripes

2.nounC1
Definition

a shy antelope from central African forests, with a red-brown body, pale stripes, and long twisting horns.

Example

On the safari, Valentina spotted a bongo slipping between the dark trees.

spot a bongo in the forest

The zoo built a quiet forest pen for its young bongo.

Common collocations
  • young bongo
  • bongo horns
  • spot a bongo
  • bongo in the forest
Synonyms
  • antelope

    a much broader animal group, not this exact forest species

  • forest antelope

    a descriptive phrase that points to its habitat rather than its exact name

Grammar Patterns

spot a bongo in the forest

a young bongo drinks at the river

the bongo uses its stripes for cover

Usage Note

This sense appears mainly in writing about wildlife, zoos, and African forests rather than in everyday conversation.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Drum is the general word, so it can refer to many different percussion instruments. Bongo is much narrower: it usually means the small paired hand drums heard in Latin, pop, or dance music. A conga is also played with the hands, but it is taller, deeper in sound, and usually stands upright as a single drum or a set. A djembe is another hand drum, yet it has a cup-shaped body and a wider range of bass and slap sounds. Tambourine is lighter and often shaken as well as hit, with metal jingles that a bongo does not have. If a teacher asks for a drum, a bongo fits, but a song asking for bongos needs that specific bright paired sound.

drum ↗congadjembetambourine

Etymology

First known use

1920

1920, in the meaning defined above Noun (2)