Gringo is a slang Spanish and Portuguese word used in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries in Latin America, to denote foreigners, often from the USA. The term can be applied to someone who is actually a foreigner, or it can denote a strong association or assimilation into foreign (particularly US) society and culture. While in Spanish it simply identifies a foreigner, without any negative connotation, in English the word is often considered offensive or disparaging.