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

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

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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.

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

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

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

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Related Words

• disco 
• tango 
• waltz