cholo

[ choh-loh ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Chiefly Southwestern U.S.

plural cholos.

(especially among Mexican Americans) a teenage boy who is a member of a street gang.
Usually Disparaging. a term used to refer to a Mexican or Mexican American.
a mestizo of Spanish America.

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Sensitive Note

When used of a Mexican or Mexican American, the term cholo usually refers disparagingly to an immigrant who is considered to be low-class and poorly educated. However, cholo is also a term of self-reference used by Mexican American youths.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of cholo¹

First recorded in 1850–55; from Mexican Spanish: “mestizo, peasant,” possibly a shortening of Cholollán (from Nahuatl Cholōllān, modern Cholula ), a city-state in pre-Columbian Mexico

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Example Sentences

The argument continued over dinner at El Cholo restaurant, where he pointed his finger at her in imitation of a gun, making her so upset she left the table.

From Los Angeles Times

But that night, Phillip Ferguson testified, his parents were arguing heatedly about money, a quarrel that started at home and continued over dinner at El Cholo restaurant, where his father pointed his index finger at her in imitation of a gun.

From Los Angeles Times

Indeed, his older sibling Giovanni - when scoring regularly in Serie A - was told by 'El Cholo' that he would not sign him, external because "it's hard to have a son in the dressing room".

From BBC

His own January 2024 vinyl album “This Cholo Is Crazy” even featured sketch and music.

From Los Angeles Times

Welcome to ‘American Cholo,’ a podcast Gill Tejada has hosted since 2018 that initially aired stories about gang life and Chicano culture but has now turned full Trump bro.

From Los Angeles Times

chollers chololith

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