sambo

American  

[sam-boh] / ˈsæm boʊ /

noun

Older Use: Now Disparaging and Offensive.

plural

sambos

1. a term used to refer to a Black person, especially a male.

2. Archaic. Also zambo a term used to refer to a Latin American of Black and Native American ancestry, or a person of Black and white ancestry.

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sambo ¹ British  

/ ˈsæmbəʊ /

noun

1. slang an archaic and taboo word for a Black person: once used as a term of address

2. archaic the offspring of a Black person and a member of another race or a mulatto

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sambo ² British  

/ ˈsæmbəʊ /

noun

1. a type of wrestling based on judo that originated in Russia and now features in international competitions

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Sensitive Note

Sambo was a common given name among Black people during the slavery era; it was later a neutral term for a Black person. However, after World War II, an increasing sensitivity to racial stereotypes caused the term to be perceived as demeaning and insulting.

Other Word Forms

• sambo wrestler noun

Etymology

Origin of sambo

An Americanism dating back to 1690–1700; from Colonial Spanish zambo “Black person, person of mixed race,” perhaps special use of Spanish zambo “bowlegged,” said to be from Latin scambus, from Greek skambós “crooked,” or perhaps from Kongo nzambu “monkey”

Example Sentences

The region has a long tradition in wrestling, thriving in the sambo style and producing a host of Olympic and world champions in the discipline.

From BBC • Dec. 26, 2025

Shestakov wears his hair close cropped and practices sambo, a martial art developed in the Soviet army.

From Reuters • Apr. 18, 2022

He cited other examples of Putin’s “God-gifted” athleticism: “He can ride the horse, he can swim, he can skate, he can ski, he can do judo and sambo and karate.”

From The New Yorker • Jul. 3, 2018

He is a former world champion at the martial art sambo and former president of Mongolia’s judo federation.

From Washington Post • Jun. 15, 2018

Sometimes, when I give Manuelito a spoonful of sambo jelly, he smacks his lips with delight just like Jaimito did when I’d sneak him a spoonful of honey.

From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau