What does "taco" mean?
A Mexican snack food made of a small tortilla (soft- or hard-shelled) filled with ingredients such as meat, rice, beans, cheese, diced vegetables, and salsa.
Taco
/ˈtɑ.koʊ/ name, noun, phrase, verb, slang
name, noun, phrase, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A Mexican snack food made of a small tortilla (soft- or hard-shelled) filled with ingredients such as meat, rice, beans, cheese, diced vegetables, and salsa.
- Grammar: taco is listed as name, noun, phrase, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: greaser, tacos, tortilla sandwich, tortilla wrap.
- Usage evidence: I want a 7 layered burrito from Taco Bell.
How to use "taco"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "taco" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "taco" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "taco" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "taco" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "taco" is acting as name, noun, phrase, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "greaser" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "taco", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A Mexican snack food made of a small tortilla (soft- or hard-shelled) filled with ingredients such as meat, rice, beans, cheese, diced vegetables, and salsa.
- 2 Initialism of transfusion-associated circulatory overload. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
- 3 a tortilla rolled cupped around a filling wordnet
- 4 The vulva. US, slang
"[…] while grinding her pink taco into my groin as if trying to gain even more of my sizable ..."
- 5 (ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Mexican descent wordnet
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A yellow stain on a shirt's armpit caused by sweat or deodorant. US, slang
Verb
- 1 To fold or cause to buckle in half, similar to the way a taco is folded. ambitransitive, slang
"The boat tacoed — the front and rear bent in — and I was holding onto a strap on the frame, sitting more on the tube than the frame, and I was catapulted forward."
Phrase
- 1 Alternative letter-case form of TACO; acronym of Trump always chickens out. alt-of
"This is the Taco theory: Trump Always Chickens Out. […] The key difference between this and the “Taco” theory is that the safe haven status of the US was never really in doubt; the world order was never on the cusp of a generational change."
- 2 Acronym of Trump always chickens out. US, abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, neologism
"This is the TACO theory: Trump Always Chickens Out," Armstrong wrote on May 2."
Proper Noun
- 1 Nickname for Donald Trump (born 1946), President of the United States (2017–2021; since 2025). US, derogatory, humorous, ironic, slang
"Who Went To VIETNAM In TACO’S PLACE?"
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"I want a 7 layered burrito from Taco Bell."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "taco"?
Common synonyms include: greaser, tacos, tortilla sandwich, tortilla wrap, wetback.
How do you use "taco" in a sentence?
I want a 7 layered burrito from Taco Bell.
How do you pronounce "taco"?
Pronounced /ˈtɑ.koʊ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Mexican Spanish taco, of uncertain origin; see the Spanish entry for more.
Etymology 2
Abbreviation
Etymology 3
Coined by journalist Robert Armstrong in 2025 for the Financial Times on May 2 in a newspaper column. Named after President of the United States Donald J. Trump