cha-cha

[chah-chah]

noun, plural cha-chas.

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-cha·ing.

to dance the cha-cha.

Also cha-cha-cha.

Origin of cha-cha

1950–55; < American Spanish (Cuban) cha-cha-cha, probably imitative of the musical accompaniment

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for cha-cha-cha

cha-cha-cha

cha-cha

noun

a Latin-American ballroom dance with small steps and swaying hip movements

a piece of music composed for this dance

verb (intr)

to perform this dance

Word Origin for cha-cha-cha

C20: from American (Cuban) Spanish

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

Word Origin and History for cha-cha-cha

cha-cha

also cha-cha-cha, type of Latin-American 3-beat ballroom dance, 1954, echoic of the music.