loco
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /lˈəʊkəʊ/
US
- /ˈloʊkoʊ/
Meanings
Adjective
crazy, wild, or out of control
used to mean mentally ill or irrational, especially as a person label; can be ableist or insulting
Noun
a locomotive, especially in railway usage
Beyond the definition
"Loco" comes from Spanish and means "crazy." In English, people sometimes use it informally to describe someone or something as wild, reckless, strange, or out of control. Picture a party that gets louder and wilder every hour: someone might laugh and say, "This place is loco!"
The tone is often playful, especially in casual speech, music, or pop culture. Still, it can sound rude or insensitive if it is used about a real person's mental health condition, so it is better used for fun, exaggerated situations than for serious ones.
"Loco" is a Spanish word that means "crazy," and it sometimes appears in English as an informal, borrowed term. When English speakers use it, they usually mean that a person, event, or situation seems wild, odd, reckless, or out of control. It often adds a dramatic, playful feeling, as if the speaker is telling a lively story rather than making a careful judgment.
You might hear it in casual conversation, song lyrics, entertainment, or speech influenced by Spanish. Someone could say, "That party was loco," to mean the party was noisy, chaotic, and exciting. In the same way, a person might describe a reckless plan, a strange idea, or an unusually energetic moment as "loco." In these uses, the word usually suggests intensity more than literal madness.
Even so, the word needs care. Because its basic meaning is tied to being "crazy," it can sound offensive or insensitive if it is used to talk about a person's actual mental health. In many contexts, it works best as slang for a fun, exaggerated, or chaotic situation, not as a serious label for a person.
So the heart of "loco" is simple: it points to something wild or crazy-seeming, often with humor or excitement, but its tone depends on context and on who is saying it.
Examples
- 1
Concert reaction
The crowd went loco when the band walked onstage.
- 2
Technology frustration
This app keeps crashing, and it’s driving me loco.
- Phrasedrive someone loco
make someone very annoyed or frustrated
- 3
Risky idea
He had some loco idea about cycling across the desert in July.
- 4
Sports enthusiasm
People here are loco about soccer.
- Patternloco about + interest
very enthusiastic about it
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Railway noun
The old steam loco pulled three carriages through the valley.
- Domainloco
short for locomotive, mainly in railway contexts
See also
Forms and spellings
3 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- loconounadjective
Forms
- locospluralnounadjective
- locoespluralnounadjective