merengue
Americannoun
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a ballroom dance of Dominican and Haitian origin, characterized by a stiff-legged, limping step.
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the music for this dance.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a type of lively dance music originating in the Dominican Republic, which combines African and Spanish elements
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a Caribbean dance in duple time with syncopated rhythm performed to such music
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Colombian artist’s energetic set not only incorporated salsa, merengue and reggaeton classics — it also paid homage to regional Mexican music, with help from the Latin Grammy-nominated ensemble, Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles.
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
His unexpected blends of reggaeton and trap with salsa, merengue, bomba, plena, and other Latin American genres create "an opportunity for conversation across generations", Prof Laguna said.
From BBC • Feb. 10, 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
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
