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Synonyms

samba

American  
[sam-buh, sahm-] / ˈsæm bə, ˈsɑm- /

noun

plural

sambas

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

verb (used without object)

sambaed, sambaing

  1. to dance the samba.

samba British  
/ 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

"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

verb

  1. (intr) to perform such a dance

"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

Etymology

Origin of samba

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And former Lioness and sports broadcaster Karen Carney and Carlos Gu took on the samba, dancing to The Rhythm Of Life from Sweet Charity.

From BBC

The rhythmic pounding of drums producing samba and reggae beats soundtracked the party on the streets alongside the constant honking of car horns.

From BBC

She is currently taking part in Strictly with professional dance partner Johannes Radebe, and the pair topped the leaderboard last week with their samba.

From BBC

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.