cholo

[ choh-loh ]

noun

, Chiefly Southwestern U.S.

, plural cho·los.

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

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.

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

Example Sentences

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

Welcome to “American Cholo,” a podcast Tejada has hosted since 2018 that initially focused on stories about gang life and Chicano culture but has now turned full Trump bro.

From Los Angeles Times

Behind them was a screen with the “American Cholo” logo of a microphone backed by an American flag.

From Los Angeles Times

The “American Cholo” studio is five blocks away from where Tejada grew up.

From Los Angeles Times

So he wrote in “American Cholo” as his choice for president.

From Los Angeles Times