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rumba
[ ruhm-buh, room-, room- ]
/ ˈrʌm bə, ˈrʊm-, ˈrum- /
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noun, plural rum·bas [ruhm-buhz, room-, room-]. /ˈrʌm bəz, ˈrʊm-, ˈrum-/.
a dance, Cuban in origin and complex in rhythm.
an imitation or adaptation of this dance in the United States.
music for this dance or in its rhythm.
verb (used without object), rum·baed [ruhm-buhd, room-, room-], /ˈrʌm bəd, ˈrʊm-, ˈrum-/, rum·ba·ing [ruhm-buh-ing, room-, room-]. /ˈrʌm bə ɪŋ, ˈrʊm-, ˈrum-/.
to dance the rumba.
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Also rhum·ba .
Origin of rumba
First recorded in 1910–15; from Latin American Spanish (Cuba): literally, “party; spree,” from Spanish rumbo “commotion, uproar,” earlier “ostentation, pomp”; further origin uncertain
Words nearby rumba
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use rumba in a sentence
Afrobeats, afropop, soukous, rumba, gengetone, kwaito and Arabic pop—these are some of the sounds breaking through Africa’s borders and bringing the world’s attention to the continent.
Henry's teeth already were chattering like the gourds in a rumba band.
Henry Horn's X-Ray Eye Glasses|Dwight V. SwainHe snatched up the startled girls' counselor and improvised a little rumba.
Adolescents Only|Irving E. Cox
British Dictionary definitions for rumba
rumba
rhumba
/ (ˈrʌmbə, ˈrʊm-) /
noun
a rhythmic and syncopated Cuban dance in duple time
a ballroom dance derived from this
a piece of music composed for or in the rhythm of this dance
Word Origin for rumba
C20: from Spanish: lavish display, of uncertain origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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