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

Two years ago at the Euros he arrived in Scotland's training centre in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and did a Bavarian dance called the schuhplattler at the welcoming ceremony, Tyrolean hat on his head, oompah music playing.

From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026

Christmastown’s Village of Lights runs from November 24 through December 24 and features festive live entertainment in the tiny replica Bavarian town, including carolers, oompah bands and Christmas characters.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2023

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

The music is an elaborate, evolving sigh, starting with low-fi, oompah piano chords that grow entwined with guitar arpeggios and a choir of “aah”s.

From New York Times ● Dec. 11, 2020

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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