cumbia

American  

[koom-bee-uh, koom-byah] / ˈkʊm bi ə, ˈkum byɑ /

noun

1. a type of Latin American dance music of Colombian origin, similar to salsa and using guitars, accordions, bass guitar, and percussion.

2. a dance performed to this music.

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Etymology

Origin of cumbia

First recorded in 1860–65; from Latin American Spanish; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

The follow-up, 2022's Motomami, was a wildly innovative pop smash, twisting Latin American genres like cumbia and reggaeton around glitchy hip-hop beats and her playful, sinuous melodies.

From BBC • Nov. 6, 2025

LosGothsCo held its Gothicumbia homecoming party on Aug. 15 at the Regent in downtown L.A., where a grimly fiendish procession of DJs spinning the sounds of cumbia, new Latin alternative, post-punk and rock en español.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 28, 2025

Throughout your career, you’ve collaborated with many artists from various genres, from indie rock band Little Jesus to psychedelic cumbia pop group Bomba Estéreo.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 7, 2025

This year’s all-ages festival will be headlined by two bands that blend cumbia rhythms with psychedelic melodies, Tropa Magica and Combo Chimbita, as well as jazz band Brainstory.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 23, 2025

I turned around just in time to see Special Agent Aaron Gonzales spin and twirl Mamá to the beat of a fast paced cumbia.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall