mambo

noun

mam·​bo ˈmäm-(ˌ)bō 

plural mambos

: a ballroom dance of Cuban origin that resembles the rumba and the cha-cha

also : the music for this dance

mambo intransitive verb

Examples of mambo in a Sentence

They learned to dance the mambo.

The band played a mambo.

Recent Examples on the Web

And now let’s play with merengue or mambo. — Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 6 Mar. 2026

Still, something felt out of place, like dancing offbeat to the mambo. — Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 3 Jan. 2025

This year, starting in June, there has been a mix of mambo, funk, soul, brass band big band and more. — The Know, Denver Post, 15 Aug. 2025

And then that Caribbean beat — somewhere between mambo, merengue, and dembow. — Ernesto Lechner, Rolling Stone, 9 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

American Spanish

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

mambo

noun

mam·​bo ˈmäm-bō 

plural mambos

: a dance of Haitian origin related to the rumba

mambo verb