bhangra

noun

bhan·​gra ˈbäŋ-grä How to pronounce bhangra (audio)
-grə
: popular dance music originating chiefly in the Punjabi community in Britain and marked by features of traditional Punjabi music and of disco
Bhangra meshes traditional-style Punjabi songs and drumming with electronic rhythms, bringing a modernized taste of the old country to dancers with Indian and Pakistani roots.Jon Pareles

Examples of bhangra in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In addition to having a professional bhangra troupe come from Canada to dance, Ray and his friends did a choreographed bhangra dance for me. Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 1 Feb. 2022 If people can dance from the heart, Leslie said, bhangra can be accessible to everyone. Palak Jayswal, The Salt Lake Tribune, 1 Dec. 2022 Team captain Kunal Kamtekar with the Utah Punjabi Arts Academy practices a bhangra, a folk dance from northern India, on Saturday, Nov. 12. 2022, at South Valley Creative Dance Studio. Palak Jayswal, The Salt Lake Tribune, 1 Dec. 2022 As in the movie, some of the story will be told in flashy, full-cast bhangra song-and-dance numbers. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Aug. 2022 Instead of writing songs for stand-alone bhangra dance extravaganzas in films, the musical’s score is being woven through the script to help explain the characters’ emotional journeys. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Aug. 2022 Before the ceremony were performances by two Indian folk dance groups, which were set to Irish music as well as bhangra. New York Times, 15 July 2022 In the background, revelry could be heard, and bhangra. Sarah Larson, The New Yorker, 18 July 2022 Performances on campus of bhangra, traditional Punjabi dance, seemingly brought the university’s entire Punjabi community together: to dance and, ultimately, to just be among one another, Tehranian said. Anumita Kaurstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bhangra.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Panjabi bhaṁgṛā, a kind of folk dance

First Known Use

1987, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bhangra was in 1987

Dictionary Entries Near bhangra

Cite this Entry

“Bhangra.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bhangra. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on bhangra

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!