salsa

American  

[sahl-suh, sahl-sah] / ˈsɑl sə, ˈsɑl sɑ /

noun

salsas plural

1. Mexican Cooking. a hot sauce of tomatoes and chile peppers with onion and garlic, and sometimes seasoned with cumin or fresh cilantro, often used as a condiment or served as a dip.

2. a lively, vigorous type of contemporary Latin American popular music, blending predominantly Cuban rhythms with elements of jazz, rock, and soul music.

3. a ballroom dance of Puerto Rican origin, performed to this music, similar to the mambo, but faster with the accent on the first beat instead of the second beat of each measure.

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verb (used without object)

1. to dance the salsa.

salsa British  

/ ˈsælsə /

noun

1. a type of Latin American big-band dance music

2. a dance performed to this kind of music

3. Mexican cookery a spicy tomato-based sauce

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• salsas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of salsa

First recorded in 1845–50, and in 1970–75 salsa for defs. 2, 3; from Latin American Spanish, Spanish: literally, “sauce”; the dance and music were probably so called originally because of the mixture of styles

Explanation

The spicy, tomato-based sauce that's served with your burrito is salsa. Salsa is also great for dipping tortilla chips in. Officially, the familiar Mexican type of salsa is called salsa picante, or "spicy sauce" in Spanish. In fact, salsa — which is rooted in the Latin salsa, "salty food" or "condiment" — means "sauce" in both Spanish and Italian. There is also a genre of music called salsa, which gets its name from the implied "spiciness" of the sauce, as well as the blending of Cuban and Puerto Rican styles of dance music.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

salsa salsas

“I’ve had a strong relationship with salsa music since I was young, even though I didn’t grew up in a place that was a cradle for that genre.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

The pivot by the 31-year-old artist was especially bold as she had previously been accused of cultural appropriation for recording salsa tunes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

Serve it with warm corn tortillas, diced onion, cilantro and a flavorful salsa, and you have the makings of an outdoor taco night that largely takes care of itself.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

CALI, Colombia—This tropical city is known for the vibrant salsa music pulsating through its nightlife and the stately samán trees shading narrow streets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

Then an entire band goes to the platform and begins to jam on some of that religious salsa.

From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez

Another night, we had tacos with three different oven-roasted salsas: tomato; a smoky, porky black bean and corn; and peach, jammy and just a little charred.

From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2026

I ordered a fat carne asada burrito that came with two delicious salsas and a grilled jalapeño.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026

But after weeks of tangos, salsas and foxtrots, it was Carney and Gu's night as they topped the public vote.

From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2025

Many of the employees were Latino or Mexican, or maneuvered like veteran hospitality people, flipping tortillas and preparing salsas, or furiously mixing drinks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2025

It’s merengues and salsas with horns and bongos and singers crooning about la estrellita de Belén.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

Related Words

• dressing
• gravy
• horseradish
• ketchup
• mustard
• pepper
• relish
• salt
• sauce
• seasoning
• spice