bhangra

American

[bahng-gruh] / ˈbɑŋ grə /

noun

a type of popular dance music combining Punjabi folk traditions with Western pop music, fusing traditional drum-based music with elements of reggae, ragga, hip-hop, rock, soul, and dance.

bhangra British

/ ˈbæŋɡrə /

noun

a type of Asian pop music that combines elements of traditional Punjabi music with Western pop

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bhangra

Borrowed into English from Punjabi around 1985–90

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.

"We love to throw together pop music with bhangra," explains band member Jaya.

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2024

The video shows Mr. Singh leading a bhangra, a traditional Punjabi dance, with other bus drivers at a bus depot.

From New York Times • Jan. 19, 2023

The Punjab-born artist has been part of the UK bhangra scene since 1980, forming the Safri Boyz Band in 1990.

From BBC • Jul. 19, 2022

They taught us dances — dandia, garba, bhangra — that we'd perform for our parents on the last day of camp.

From Salon • Jul. 16, 2022

She’d never danced in front of anyone since the bhangra puke fiasco.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

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