English Reference

Word

taco

US/ˈtɑkoʊ/

UK/tˈɑːkəʊ/

Definitions

01Mexican food

A1 · Cooking

n. a Mexican dish made of a small, folded tortilla filled with meat, beans, cheese, or vegetables.

n. a traditional Mexican dish consisting of a corn or wheat tortilla folded or rolled around a filling such as seasoned meat, beans, or salsa.

“We had beef tacos with spicy salsa and fresh lime for dinner.”

“The street vendor prepared authentic tacos al pastor, expertly slicing the marinated pork directly into small, hand-pressed corn tortillas.”

02to fold or buckle

C1

v. to accidentally fold or bend something, like a bicycle wheel, until it is ruined.

v. to fold or cause an object to buckle in half, typically referring to the structural failure of a circular object like a wheel.

“I hit a deep hole in the road and tacoed my front bike wheel.”

“The impact was severe enough to taco the rim, leaving the cyclist stranded miles from the nearest repair shop.”

Informal · Slang

Usage

Often used in the context of extreme sports or cycling to describe a wheel bending into a U-shape.

Antonyms

03vulva

C2

n. a slang word for a woman's private parts.

n. a slang term for the vulva, used primarily in American English.

“The movie contained several crude jokes using the word taco.”

“The script was criticized for its reliance on vulgar metaphors, including the use of 'taco' as a anatomical reference.”

American English · Slang · Vulgar

Teaching tip

This usage is highly informal and can be considered offensive or objectifying; learners should avoid using it in most social contexts.

Etymology

Borrowed from Mexican Spanish taco, of uncertain origin; see the Spanish entry for more.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Domain

Cooking

This entry

Level
A1 · Beginner
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

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English Reference