bossa nova
Americannoun
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jazz-influenced music of Brazilian origin, rhythmically related to the samba.
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a dance performed to this music.
noun
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a dance similar to the samba, originating in Brazil
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a piece of music composed for or in the rhythm of this dance
Etymology
Origin of bossa nova
1960–65; < Portuguese: literally, new tendency, leaning
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.
The project, released just before Coachella, blended a diverse range of rhythms such as pop, Brazilian funk, R&B and bossa nova -- a mix that, for Sonza, is the essence of Brazil.
From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026
My last album was the thing that put me on the map, and the song that went viral was the most pure bossa nova song that I’d released.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2025
“Oganesson” is constructed around his delicate strummed riff, which recalls the ease of bossa nova, and it has an airiness and jazziness not found elsewhere on the record.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 28, 2025
Brazilian musician Sérgio Mendes, who helped popularise bossa nova and samba with Western audiences, has died at the age of 83, his family has confirmed.
From BBC • Sep. 6, 2024
From son an abundant range of dance and song types blossomed: danzon, rumba, guaguanco, yambu, bossa nova, mambo, chachacha, conga, and eventually salsa.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
