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

With Elvis Crespo at the helm, the project immerses listeners in his signature genres of spirited merengue, lively mambo and infectious bachata. —Luisa Calle, Billboard, 6 June 2025

To rock your hips through the mambo like dancers at the Palladium Ballroom in the ’50s? —Yuvraj Khanna, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025

Klingenberg cites the lindy hop, the mambo and the cha-cha as antecedents of disco partner dancing. —Alice George, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Apr. 2025

Sunday, June 22: The Colorado Mambo Orchestra, led by Dr. Raul Murciano Jr., is known for its high-energy mambo and salsa music spanning traditional Cuban music to R&B, American songbook standards, and Brazilian tunes. —The Know, Denver Post, 27 Mar. 2025

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