taco

American  

[tah-koh, tah-kaw] / ˈtɑ koʊ, ˈtɑ kɔ /

noun

plural

tacos

1. Mexican Cooking. a tortilla filled with various ingredients, as beans, rice, chopped meat, cheese, and tomatoes, and folded over in half or rolled into a loose cylinder shape: The downside of hard-shell tacos is that you can’t fit as much stuff in a fried tortilla.

   My favorite breakfast taco has eggs, bacon, and cheese on a flour tortilla.

   The downside of hard-shell tacos is that you can’t fit as much stuff in a fried tortilla.

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taco British  

/ ˈtɑːkəʊ /

noun

1. Mexican cookery a tortilla folded into a roll with a filling and usually fried

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Etymology

Origin of taco

First recorded in 1930–35; from Mexican Spanish; perhaps a shortening of taco de minero “miner’s plug,” from the resemblance of the food to an explosive charge used in silver mines, from Spanish taco “wad, plug, wedge”; further origin uncertain

Compare meaning

How does taco compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• taco vs. burrito

Example Sentences

"I thought they were going to kidnap us. I ran to a taco stand to take cover with the people there," Medina told AFP.

From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026

“It’s crazy where a taco can take you,” he wrote.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2026

The performance began with Bad Bunny walking through a sugar cane field, interacting with a beloved L.A. taco stand, a jeweler, a nail technician and a group of older men playing dominoes.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2026

Build a taco seasoning that goes bold on garlic powder and smoked paprika, finished with a discreet pinch of MSG.

From Salon • Dec. 20, 2025

She put down her taco and dabbed a napkin to her hand.

From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds