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  • tango
    tango
    noun
    a ballroom dance of Latin American origin, danced by couples, and having many varied steps, figures, and poses.
  • Tango
    Tango
    noun
    communications a code word for the letter t
Synonyms

tango

American  
[tang-goh] / ˈtæŋ goʊ /

noun

tangos plural
  1. a ballroom dance of Latin American origin, danced by couples, and having many varied steps, figures, and poses.

  2. music for this dance.

  3. a word used in communications to represent the letter T.


verb (used without object)

tangoes, present (3rd person singular) tangoed, past participle, past tangoing present participle
  1. to dance the tango.

Tango 1 British  
/ ˈtæŋɡəʊ /

noun

  1. communications a code word for the letter t

"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

tango 2 British  
/ ˈtæŋɡəʊ /

noun

  1. a Latin American dance in duple time, characterized by long gliding steps and sudden pauses

  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 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
tango Cultural  
  1. A sensual ballroom dance that originated in South America in the early twentieth century.


Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of tango

First recorded in 1910–15; from Latin American Spanish, possibly from a Niger-Congo language such as Ibibio tamgu “to dance”

Explanation

The noun tango usually refers to the Argentine tango, a dramatic ballroom dance, and the expressive music that goes along with it. The tango is known for being a passionate, emotional form of dance in which the dancing couple hold each other closely and make abrupt — yet graceful — movements. The accompanying music is equally dramatic and varied, often featuring many instruments such as violin, piano, and bandoneón, a type of concertina or small accordion. The word tango is of Latin American Spanish origin, probably from an African root word.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing tango

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.

B. Riley Securities analyst Yuan Zhi raised his Tango Therapeutics price target to $35 from $21 on Monday, and maintained a Buy rating on the stock.

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

Of the 12 firms polled by FactSet, Tango Therapeutics has an average Buy rating and a $35.09 price price target.

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

Analyst Siraj Ahmed says his base case scenario is that DSV will shift much of its needs from WiseTech’s CargoWise platform to the Tango platform that came with its 2025 acquisition of DB Schenker.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

Samba escaped from a temporary enclosure at Marwell Zoo a day after arriving from Jimmy's Farm and Wildlife Park in Suffolk with another capybara, Tango.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

The sound makes Tía wiggle her hips the way she does at the Tango Palace, while she fusses with Abuela about recipes.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

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