rumba

American  

[ruhm-buh, room-, room-] / ˈrʌm bə, ˈrʊm-, ˈrum- /

Also rhumba

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.

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verb (used without object)

rumbaed, rumbaing

1. to dance the rumba.

rumba British  

/ 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

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Etymology

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

Example Sentences

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

From Los Angeles Times

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.”

From Los Angeles Times

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.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Los Angeles Times

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.

From New York Times