Meanings
plural pochos
- countablederogatoryinformaloftenuncountableA Mexican-American, especially one regarded by Mexicans as being assimilated into mainstream American culture, often implying limited to no fluency in Spanish and disconnection from Mexican culture.
But the pochos needed a gesture, anything, some kind of cultural safe house in which they could rest for a while from the endless war on two fronts.
2012, Earl Shorris, Latinos: A Biography of the People, W. W. Norton & Company, →ISBN, page 1701 more example
Both often cater to wealthy Mexicans who come to shop, although many of these Mexicans look down their noses at the pochos (assimilated Mexican Americans).
2010, Chad Richardson, Batos, Bolillos, Pochos, and Pelados: Class and Culture on the South Texas Border, University of Texas Press, →ISBN, page 11 - informaluncountableSpanglish
I especially appreciated how Villarreal changed the word pocho from a negative to a positive. The young protagonist, Richard Rubio, says, “I'm a pocho, I speak pocho, and I'm proud of it.”
2000, Mario T. García, Luis Leal: An Auto/Biography, University of Texas Press, →ISBN, page 1061 more example
But some among their countrymen speak pocho; the descriptive term can be translated literally as “discolored” or “faded.” When used with respect to language, pocho means a slangy mixture of Spanish and English […]
1986, Mexico, Little Brown & Company, →ISBN
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Mexican Spanishpocho
- Englishpocho
Borrowed from Mexican Spanish pocho (literally “discolored, faded”).
More words from Mexican Spanish
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Spanish pocho
- pochoMexican-American assimilated into mainstream American culture
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
pocho. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pocho
“pocho.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pocho. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pocho,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pocho.
Source: pocho on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.