samba

[ sam-buh, sahm- ]

/ ˈsæm bə, ˈsɑm- /

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See synonyms for samba on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural sam·bas.

a rhythmic, Brazilian ballroom dance of African origin.

verb (used without object), sam·baed, sam·ba·ing.

to dance the samba.

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Origin of samba

First recorded in 1885; from Portuguese, of African origin, possibly Kongo semba, the name of a dance

Words nearby samba

samarium, Samarkand, Samarra, samarskite, Sama-Veda, samba, sambal, sambar, sambo, Sambre, Sam Browne belt

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use samba in a sentence

Cleveland brought a blitz, leaving him one-on-one with safety Richard LeCounte, and Adams did a samba on top of the hashmarks while Aaron Rodgers backpedaled and lofted a ball to the middle of the end zone.
The Packers Need A Receiver Who Can Do It All. Good Thing They Have Davante Adams.|Robert O'Connell|January 20, 2022|FiveThirtyEight
It has summery samba drums and wicked rhythm and that awesome sting voice which sounds like a sample but is just brilliantly repeating vocals.
Pandemic playlists: Songs (and podcasts) that got us through coronavirus lockdown|Seb Joseph|July 26, 2021|Digiday
That the Interim President Catherine Samba-Panza is a woman is another exception to the rule.
The Curse of CAR: Warlords, Blood Diamonds, and Dead Elephants|Christopher Day|May 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“We want her to appear with the Samba band and come on and say ‘Shut the ---- up’,” one of the organisers explained.
Dame Helen Mirren: One Loves Drummers, Just Not Outside A Theatre|Tom Sykes|May 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Behind the samba beat, the country remains deeply polarized at home, in politics, and in the pews.
Brazil’s Surge in Violence Against Gays Is Just Getting Worse|Kristian Jebsen|April 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST
It was none other than comic Margaret Cho, dancing a samba to the story of “pride.”
Best Moments From Dancing With the Stars|Sujay Kumar, The Daily Beast Video|October 5, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The Woz busted a move—and who knows what else—doing “the worm” in the middle of a samba routine in Season Nine.
11 Most Awkward Dancing Stars|The Daily Beast Video|August 17, 2009|DAILY BEAST
In the great country far away south, through which flows the river Nile, there lived a king who had an only child called Samba.
The Olive Fairy Book|Various
Loud were the cries for instant vengeance, and for Samba, son-in-law of the king, to lead them to battle.
The Olive Fairy Book|Various
And to this Samba, who was always ready to do anything he was asked when there was no danger about it, agreed readily.
The Olive Fairy Book|Various
One of them was my first commander and my confidant, which surprised me greatly; his name was Samba.
The History of Louisiana|Le Page Du Pratz
We found a fire of blazing wood in Samba's hut, and sat down on mats to gossip and smoke till dinner should be served.
Chambers's Edinburgh Journal Vol. XVII. No. 418. New Series.|William and Robert Chambers

British Dictionary definitions for samba

samba

/ (ˈsæmbə) /

noun plural -bas

a lively modern ballroom dance from Brazil in bouncy duple time

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

verb -bas, -baing or -baed

(intr) to perform such a dance

Word Origin for samba

Portuguese, of African 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

samba

Origin of samba

Words nearby samba

Words related to samba

How to use samba in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for samba

Word Origin for samba