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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

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.