corroboree

or cor·rob·bo·ree

[ kuh-rob-uh-ree ]

/ kəˈrɒb ə ri /

Save This Word!

noun Australian.

an assembly of Aboriginal people typified by singing and dancing, sometimes associated with traditional sacred rites.

a social gathering, especially of a boisterous nature.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of corroboree

First recorded in 1793, corroboree is from the Dharuk word ga-ra-ba-ra “dance”

Words nearby corroboree

corrigible, corrival, corroborant, corroborate, corroboration, corroboree, corrode, corrody, corrosion, corrosive, corrosive sublimate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use corroboree in a sentence

The two factors upon which the later drama depends may be detected even in the corroboree of the Australians.
Elements of Folk Psychology|Wilhelm Wundt
This evening Fisherman and Jackey showed Wittin corroboree dance.
Journal of Landsborough's Expedition from Carpentaria|William Landsborough
I asked, and was told that "'Jimmy' mak'm good fellow corroboree."
Tropic Days|E. J. Banfield
The word corroboree is applied equally to the dance, the whole festival, or the actual chant which accompanies the dancing.
Spinifex and Sand|David W Carnegie

And we plan a corroboree at the colony after the Warlock is down, when there will be some excellently practiced singing.
Sand Doom|William Fitzgerald Jenkins

British Dictionary definitions for corroboree

corroboree

/ (kəˈrɒbərɪ) /

noun Australian

a native assembly of sacred, festive, or warlike character

informal any noisy gathering

Word Origin for corroboree

C19: from a native Australian language

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