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

rum, rumaki, rumal, Rumania, Rumanian, rumba, rumble, rumble seat, rumble strip, rumbling, rumbly

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.
The sounds putting Africa on the global music map|Nadia Neophytou|June 13, 2021|Quartz
Henry's teeth already were chattering like the gourds in a rumba band.
Henry Horn's X-Ray Eye Glasses|Dwight V. Swain
He 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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012