cholo

C3H4O1L1O1
US/ˈt͡ʃoʊloʊ/

noun

A Mexican or Hispanic gang member, or somebody perceived to embody similar characteristics.

OriginSpanish cholo →
UncommonScrabble 10
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Meanings

nouncholo (plural cholos)

plural cholos

  1. derogatoryA Mexican or Hispanic gang member, or somebody perceived to embody similar characteristics.

    When Converse's cool-hunter DeeDee Gordon was in Los Angeles, she saw white teenage girls dressing like cholos, or Mexican gangsters, wearing tight white tank tops known as "wife beaters," a bra strap hanging out, long shorts, tube socks, and shower sandals.

    1999, Dorothy Leonard-Barton, Walter C. Swap, When Sparks Fly: Igniting Creativity in Groups, page 87

Origin

  1. Spanishcholo
  2. Englishcholo

Borrowed from Spanish cholo, of uncertain origin.

More words from Spanish

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

cholo. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cholo

MLA

“cholo.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cholo. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cholo,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cholo.

Source: cholo on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.