rumba

noun

rum·ba | \ˈrəm-bə,

ˈru̇m-, ˈrüm-\

variants: or less commonly rhumba

Definition of rumba

: a ballroom dance of Cuban origin in ²/₄ or ⁴/₄ time with a basic pattern of step-close-step and marked by a delayed transfer of weight and pronounced hip movements also : the music for this dance

Examples of rumba in a Sentence

The band played a rumba.

Recent Examples on the Web

Image The Congolese pop best known worldwide is the re-Africanized rumba that defines styles like soukous and kwassa kwassa. — Jon Pareles, New York Times, "Jupiter & Okwess Turn Congo Turbulence Into Ferocious Grooves," 3 July 2018 On the third Friday, anything goes: waltz, foxtrot, rumba, cha-cha. — Susan Dunne, courant.com, "Dancing The Night Away: Tango, Salsa Nights At Hartford Ballroom," 7 May 2018 Her dance partner, Slavi Baylov, 41, greeted her with flowers and led her onto the dance floor for a jaunty rumba followed by an elegant fox trot. — Corey Kilgannon, New York Times, "Dancing Saved Her Life. Twice.," 21 Feb. 2018 Students of Gabriel Tsai’s ballroom dancing classes stunned the audience with graceful renditions of the foxtrot, cha cha and rumba, and stories of their own personal struggles with aging. — Sara Cardine, La Cañada Valley Sun, "Community Center reaches out to ‘folks over 50’ about programs that promote vitality," 18 Oct. 2017 So, how this is going to work: The high scorers get to pick their dance-off opponent and the low scorers get to pick the dance style, choosing from cha cha, jive, or rumba. — Amy Watts, baltimoresun.com, "'Dancing With the Stars' recap: Dance-off leads to double elimination on Movie Night," 2 May 2017 Best of the Rest Nancy Kerrigan’s En Vogue Paso brings her a 33, while Bonner Bolton’s rumba and Nick Viall’s jive lock in a 30 and 29, respectively. — Justin Kirkland, USA TODAY, "'DWTS:' Heather Morris sent home in shocking elimination after first perfect score," 25 Apr. 2017 That led a friend of a friend to put us in touch with some people who run a music cooperative in the city of Matanzas, about 55 miles east of Havana and best known as the birthplace of danzón and rumba. — Karen Schwartz, The Denver Post, "How to plan a Cuba trip without an organized tour," 6 Apr. 2017 That leaves Bonner & Sharna and Nick & Peta to do the rumba. — Amy Watts, baltimoresun.com, "'Dancing With the Stars' recap: Dance-off leads to double elimination on Movie Night," 2 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rumba.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.