noun
salsa
SAL-suh
noun
1
A spicy sauce, usually tomato-based, often used as a dip or topping in Mexican cooking.
"We scooped up the salsa with tortilla chips before dinner."
2
A lively style of Latin dance music, or the dance performed to it.
"They took salsa lessons every Tuesday night at the community centre."
How to Use Salsa
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither a spicy dip or a Latin dance style, depending on context.
Common pairings
salsa dancing
salsa music
tomato salsa
mild salsa
Word Forms
salsaed past tense, salsas plural, salsas singular
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “salsa”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
We scooped up the _____ with tortilla chips before dinner.
Etymology
From Spanish salsa, "sauce," from Latin salsus, "salted."