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oompah

American

[oom-pah, oom-] / ˈum pɑ, ˈʊm- /

Also oompah-pah

noun

a repetitious bass accompaniment in music typically provided by brasses.

adjective

marked by an oompah.

oompah band.

oompah British

/ ˈuːmˌpɑː /

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of oompah

First recorded in 1875–80; imitative

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.

Facing intense criticism was not new for Scotland head coach Steve Clarke when his dejected players left Germany to the sound of a Bavarian oompah band after a deflating Euros campaign in the summer.

From BBC • Nov. 18, 2024

And the remaining taps feature Germany and Czech beers if you long for the old oompah Queen Anne Beerhall.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 5, 2022

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

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023