paso doble

American  

[pah-soh doh-bley, pah-saw daw-ble] / ˈpɑ soʊ ˈdoʊ bleɪ, ˈpɑ sɔ ˈdɔ βlɛ /

noun

plural

paso dobles,

plural

pasos dobles

1. a quick, light march often played at bullfights.

2. a two-step, especially one done to Latin American rhythms.

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paso doble British  

/ ˈpæsəʊ ˈdəʊbleɪ, ˈpaso ˈdoβle /

noun

1. a modern ballroom dance in fast duple time

2. a piece of music composed for or in the rhythm of this dance

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Etymology

Origin of paso doble

First recorded in 1925–30; < Spanish: literally, double step

Example Sentences

Back in the actual 1990s, ice dancers cycled through traditional dances: samba, blues, polka, rumba, quickstep, tango, jive, paso doble, Viennese waltz.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

In his Halloween paso doble showcase, he wore a clerical collar and forewent grease paint or creepy contacts, relying on wide-eyed expressions and a low-slung layer of fake fog to hide his relatively clumsy footwork.

From Salon • Nov. 4, 2025

Sure, that’s cool, but could Chavez ever perfect the paso doble, samba or Viennese waltz?

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 6, 2023

The music and lyrics — by Benjamin Velez and David Kamp — fuse salsa, gospel, hip-hop, funk and merengue, as well as some flamenco and paso doble for the Spaniards.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 1, 2022

Ghadami, EastEnders' Kush, grabs a moment to eat a jacket potato with tuna after running through his 007-themed paso doble to Wings' Live and Let Die.

From BBC • Nov. 17, 2017