samba

[sam-buh, sahm-]

noun

plural

sambas 

1. a rhythmic, Brazilian ballroom dance of African origin.

verb (used without object)

sambaed, sambaing 

1. to dance the samba.

samba

/ ˈsæmbə /

noun

1. a lively modern ballroom dance from Brazil in bouncy duple time

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

verb

1. (intr) to perform such a dance

Word History and Origins

Origin of samba¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of samba¹

Portuguese, of African origin

Example Sentences

But despite earning the respect of luminaries in the jazz world, Pascoal rejected the label as a jazz musician, and said he owed as much to Brazilian music like chorinho and samba.

From BBC

Genres including rare groove, house and samba are expected to be played out across the day.

From BBC

Brazilian football has long wrestled between two systems: the flair of a samba style and the pragmatism needed to win at the highest level.

From BBC

One of the top 12 samba schools competing for the title was Paraíso do Tuiuti, whose dancers paraded in exuberant feathers.

From BBC

He said: "It was more like a salsa... This, for me, didn't go far enough into the world of samba."

From BBC

Related Words

• disco 
• tango 
• waltz