merengue

American  

[muh-reng-gay] / məˈrɛŋ geɪ /

noun

1. a ballroom dance of Dominican and Haitian origin, characterized by a stiff-legged, limping step.

2. the music for this dance.

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verb (used without object)

merengued, merenguing

1. to dance the merengue.

merengue British  

/ məˈrɛŋɡeɪ /

noun

1. a type of lively dance music originating in the Dominican Republic, which combines African and Spanish elements

2. a Caribbean dance in duple time with syncopated rhythm performed to such music

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Etymology

Origin of merengue

First recorded in 1880–90; from Latin American Spanish merengue, meringue, and probably a special use of Spanish merengue meringue ( def. ), but the semantic development is unclear

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

merengue

After a mambo-fied performance of her title track from her 2025 album, “Tropicoqueta,” she perched atop a ginormous macaw to serenade the crowd with her bilingual merengue romántico, “Papasito.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026

Pulido said the video was a satire and the character was based on a scandal at the time involving merengue singer Elvis Crespo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026

The roof of the Jet Set club in the capital Santo Domingo caved in early on April 8, during a concert by merengue star Rubby Perez.

From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2025

It’s a genre that emerged from people combining hip-hop, dancehall reggae and all manner of Latin American genres, like salsa and merengue.

From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2025

She squealed with delight while he swayed with her for a few beats and then he broke out into some goofy merengue moves, kicking his leg up at the end and shouting “¡Olé!”

From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez

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