noun Uncommon

samba

SAHM-buh

Samba (noun) means a lively Brazilian ballroom dance, or the style of dancing it. Example: “They spent every Wednesday evening learning to samba at the community hall.”

noun

A lively Brazilian ballroom dance, or the style of dancing it.

"They spent every Wednesday evening learning to samba at the community hall."

"Her hips moved in time as she danced the samba across the floor."

A Brazilian musical genre with roots in West African rhythms, brought over during the slave trade, that this dance is performed to.

"The parade floats blasted samba from huge speakers all afternoon."

verb

To dance the samba.

"The whole street sambaed past the judges at Carnival."

How to use samba

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA festive Brazilian dance and its music, famous from Carnival parades.

Common pairings

dance the samba samba music samba school

Word forms

sambaed past tense, sambas plural, sambas singular

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They spent every Wednesday evening learning to _____ at the community hall.

Etymology

Borrowed from Brazilian Portuguese samba, which itself traces back to a Bantu language of West Africa.

Origin: Portuguese

Synonyms

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arere obeche obechi

Related words

obeche

Rhymes for samba

mamba Bamba caramba

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Frequently asked questions

What does “samba” mean?

The word “samba” means a lively Brazilian ballroom dance, or the style of dancing it. In plain terms, a festive Brazilian dance and its music, famous from Carnival parades.

How do you pronounce “samba”?

“Samba” is pronounced SAHM-buh (/ˈsɑmbə/ in IPA).

How do you use “samba” in a sentence?

Here is “samba” used in a sentence: “They spent every Wednesday evening learning to samba at the community hall.”

What part of speech is “samba”?

Depending on how it is used, “samba” can be a noun and a verb.

Where does the word “samba” come from?

The word “samba” comes from Portuguese. Borrowed from Brazilian Portuguese samba, which itself traces back to a Bantu language of West Africa.

Is “samba” a common word?

“Samba” is an uncommon word in modern English.

How many meanings does “samba” have?

“Samba” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a lively Brazilian ballroom dance, or the style of dancing it.

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Words with Portuguese origins

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