rumba

Also rhum·ba

[ruhm-buh, room-, room-]

noun

plural

rumbas 

1. a dance, Cuban in origin and complex in rhythm.

2. an imitation or adaptation of this dance in the United States.

3. music for this dance or in its rhythm.

verb (used without object)

rumbaed, rumbaing 

1. to dance the rumba.

rumba

/ ˈrʌmbə, ˈrʊm- /

noun

1. a rhythmic and syncopated Cuban dance in duple time

2. a ballroom dance derived from this

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of rumba¹

First recorded in 1910–15; from Latin American Spanish (Cuba): literally, “party; spree,” from Spanish rumbo “commotion, uproar,” earlier “ostentation, pomp”; further origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of rumba¹

C20: from Spanish: lavish display, of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

Xavier Cugat, “king of the rumba,” nevertheless hired him, and Bing Crosby advocated for him.

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The music, which also spotlights the role of Congolese rumba in pan-African liberation, functions not as mere soundtrack but what Grimonprez calls a “historical agent.”

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We also get a broad, electrifying sampling of the era’s freedom jams, be they from our shore’s turntables and radios or the African rumba scene.

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But every night, no matter the circumstances, the percussive sounds of rumba filled her childhood home.

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Arocena, 32, grew up in Santos Suárez, a neighborhood in Havana, with a family immersed in rumba folklore so passionately that they turned household objects into musical instruments.

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