cha-cha

American

[chah-chah] / ˈtʃɑˌtʃɑ /

Also cha-cha-cha

noun

a fast ballroom dance of Latin American origin, similar to the mambo, that follows a rhythmic pattern based upon a quick three-step movement.

verb (used without object)

to dance the cha-cha.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

cha-chas

plural

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of cha-cha

First recorded in 1950–55; from Latin American Spanish (Cuban) cha-cha-cha, probably imitative of the musical accompaniment

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Chef Doron Wong at New York’s Cha Cha Tang says he experimented with the Peking-style preparation but found that it didn’t do the bird justice, noting that it ended up tasting more like ham.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 24, 2025

The place I’m eating nonstop in L.A. for the rest of the year: Cha Cha Chicken!

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 13, 2023

And she mentioned that on one occasion, Sergienko approached the previous city attorney, Mike Feuer, at a Cha Cha Chicken restaurant.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2023

Kaarija's OTT party anthem Cha Cha Cha becomes the first Finnish-language song to make the UK top 10; and there's vindication for the UK's Mae Muller.

From BBC • May 19, 2023

So then came Cha Cha Jimenez, a cat from Chicago.

From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023