soukous

American

[soo-koos] / ˈsuˈkus /

noun

a style of central African popular dance music with electric guitars, Caribbean rhythms, and often several vocalists.

soukous British

/ ˈsuːkʊs /

noun

a style of African popular music that originated in Zaïre (now the Democratic Republic of Congo), characterized by syncopated rhythms and intricate contrasting guitar melodies

"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 soukous

1980–85; said to be < Lingala < French secouer to shake

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.

See Examples For:

soukous

The traditional soukous dance music out of Congo and other parts of Central Africa.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 2, 2024

The briskly upbeat rhythm of Congolese soukous, well known worldwide, was only part of the set.

From New York Times ● Jan. 15, 2018

Two Congolese bands that would define decades of soukous to follow, Tabu Ley Rochereau & Afrisa, and Franco and T.P.O.K.

From New York Times ● May 26, 2017

Shaping Congolese music in the 1970s and 1980s, he made soukous the most popular sound across Africa, and attracted international music figures like Peter Gabriel.

From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2016

She got up and began dancing to the soukous music that was playing as she left us.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah

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