bingo

bingo — noun

1. a prize game where players mark a numbered card as chance decides which numbers

1.名詞B1
釋義

a prize game where players mark a numbered card as chance decides which numbers are called, aiming to complete a winning line or pattern.

例句

Every Friday, Mrs. Wu plays bingo at the church hall with her neighbors.

play bingo + place

The summer fair raised money by running bingo after the cake sale.

run bingo as a fundraising event

同義詞
  • keno

    a similar number-marking game, but more strongly linked with casinos and gambling

  • lottery

    broader prize draw; players do not usually mark a card as numbers are called

  • raffle

    a prize draw using numbered tickets rather than a grid of numbers

文法句型

play bingo

a game of bingo

用法筆記

Usually uncountable after 'play'. Use countable wording mainly in phrases such as 'a game of bingo' or when talking about different bingo events.

常見錯誤

❌We played a bingo after dinner.
✅We played bingo after dinner.
💡the game name usually has no article after 'play'.
❌She shouted bingos when she won.
✅She shouted Bingo! when she won.
💡the winning cry is the word itself, not a plural noun.

2. an informal British word for a hall or club used for bingo sessions.

2.名詞B2
釋義

an informal British word for a hall or club used for bingo sessions.

例句

After dinner, Nora's aunt walked to the bingo for the evening session.

go to the bingo = go to a bingo hall

A new bingo opened beside the bus station last winter.

countable use for the venue

同義詞
  • bingo hall

    the plain standard term for the building

  • bingo club

    often suggests a regular local place with members or regular visitors

文法句型

go to the bingo

work at a bingo

用法筆記

Mostly British and informal, often heard with 'the': 'go to the bingo'. Distinguish from sense 1, which names the game rather than the building.

常見錯誤

❌My uncle goes to bingo every night
✅My uncle goes to the bingo every night.
💡in this venue sense, British English often uses 'the'.

3. a humorous label for a situation where the same kind of word, idea, or behavior

3.名詞C1
釋義

a humorous label for a situation where the same kind of word, idea, or behavior keeps appearing, as if people were ticking a card each time it happened.

例句

By noon, the meeting had turned into jargon bingo, with 'vision' on every slide.

pattern: [noun] bingo

Viewers played apology bingo during the interview and marked each new sorry.

play + [noun] bingo

同義詞
  • checklist

    a plain list of items to tick off, without the humorous critical tone

  • scorecard

    a more neutral record sheet used for keeping track of repeated items

  • spotting game

    describes the activity of noticing repeated things, but sounds less sarcastic

文法句型

[noun] bingo

play [noun] bingo

用法筆記

Usually follows a descriptive noun such as 'jargon', 'buzzword', or 'apology'. Common in joking criticism, especially of speeches, meetings, and online talk.

常見錯誤

❌The speech was bingo.
✅The speech turned into jargon bingo.
💡this sense normally needs a noun before 'bingo' to show what is being repeated.
❌We played bingo of excuses.
✅We played excuse bingo.
💡the usual pattern is '[type] bingo', not 'bingo of'.

bingo — exclamation