oompah

American  

[oom-pah, oom-] / ˈum pɑ, ˈʊm- /

Also oompah-pah

noun

1. a repetitious bass accompaniment in music typically provided by brasses.

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adjective

1. marked by an oompah.

   oompah band.

oompah British  

/ ˈuːmˌpɑː /

noun

1. a representation of the sound made by a deep brass instrument, esp in military band music

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Etymology

Origin of oompah

First recorded in 1875–80; imitative

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

oompah

In one experiment, Adrian North and his colleagues at Leicester University alternated the music in a supermarket between French accordion and German oompah tunes.

From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2026

Revellers sit at long communal tables to swig beer, eat sausages, pretzel or pork knuckle, and listen to oompah bands.

From Reuters ● Apr. 29, 2022

It opens with a swaying melody over an oompah accompaniment.

From New York Times ● Mar. 3, 2021

Some offer traditional oompah music — an ensemble of brass, woodwinds, accordion, and drums.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 29, 2017

On top of this accompanying oompah the rag pianists wove a catchy tune that pulled the rhythm around, a technique called syncopation.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

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