conga

American  

[kong-guh] / ˈkɒŋ gə /

noun

plural

congas

1. Also called conga line.  a Cuban ballroom dance that consists of three steps forward followed by a kick, characteristically performed by a group following a leader in a single line.

2. the music for this dance.

3. Also called conga drum.  a tall, conical, Afro-Cuban drum played with the hands.

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verb (used without object)

congaed, congaing

1. to dance a conga.

conga British  

/ ˈkɒŋɡə /

noun

1. a Latin American dance of three steps and a kick to each bar, usually performed by a number of people in single file

2. Also called: conga drum.  a large tubular bass drum, used chiefly in Latin American and funk music and played with the hands

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verb

1. (intr) to dance the conga

Etymology

Origin of conga

First recorded in 1930–35; from Cuban Spanish

Example Sentences

On social media this weekend, Trump applauded a picture of a map showing a conga line of vessels sailing to the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

In no time, there were conga lines and limbo contests, and by the wee hours, someone always ended up at the emergency room and at least one marriage was in peril.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025

Sometimes, as has been documented in a BBC series narrated by David Attenborough, they swap shells in a conga line, in which each crab puts on a shell discarded by a larger companion.

From Slate • Aug. 19, 2025

In that euphoric moment, the King's mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, then 19, had also secretly gone out among the crowds and had been part of a conga at the Ritz hotel.

From BBC • May 5, 2025

The conga drum player was especially wild, playing insane fill-ins all over the place.

From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick

Related Words

• disco
• samba
• tango
• waltz