cha-cha

Also cha-cha-cha

[chah-chah]

noun

plural

cha-chas 

1. 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)

cha-chaed, cha-chaing 

1. to dance the cha-cha.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cha-cha¹

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

Example Sentences

After his instant dance performance, a cha-cha to DNCE’s “Cake by the Ocean,” he acknowledged the toll the competition had taken.

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Dacha rhymes with cha-cha and is the Russian word for a summerhouse.

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Judge Derek Hough called the cha-cha “a punctuation mark letting everybody know that you are a top contender on this show.”

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In October, Spears was eliminated from the ABC reality program “Dancing With the Stars” after she and her dance partner scored a 16 out of 30 on their cha-cha routine.

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He began improvising on the dance floor at an early age, with cha-cha and the samba, at family gatherings.

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