samba

noun

sam·​ba ˈsam-bə  ˈsäm- 

: a Brazilian dance of African origin with a basic pattern of step-close-step-close and characterized by a dip and spring upward at each beat of the music

also : the music for this dance

samba intransitive verb

Examples of samba in a Sentence

The band played a samba.

Recent Examples on the Web

Yasuda is good for any post-show dinners uptown, while Beco is great for an end-of-the-week Brazilian feast with live samba music to celebrate everyone leaving town! — Irene Kim, Vogue, 8 Sep. 2026

Latin Grammy nominee performs his swinging samba-funk colored with Brazilian soul. — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026

My very first film, ‘The Samba Within Me,’ a doc feature about a Rio samba school directed by Joca Georgia Guerra-Peixe, was co-produced out of Portugal and Germany. — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026

In the premiere episode, six-time Mirrorball champion Derek Hough flew in as a mentor and guest judge to help the 12 contestants pair up and assigned the men to perform a jive and the women to dance a samba. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Portuguese

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for samba

• bomba
• mamba