salsa

noun sal·sa \ ˈsȯl-sə , ˈsäl- \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Definition of salsa

1 : a usually spicy sauce of chopped tomatoes, onions, and peppers that is commonly served with Mexican food; also : a similar sauce made with a main ingredient other than tomatoes

peach salsa

2 : popular music of Latin American origin that has absorbed characteristics of rhythm and blues, jazz, and rock

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Examples of salsa in a Sentence

The band was playing salsa.
We're taking classes in salsa.

Recent Examples of salsa from the Web

The ovens are used to blacken the crust on a ruddy skirt steak sliced and fanned so that its ruby interior is set against pale-green sweet-pea puree and hot, oily salsa macha.

— mike sula, Chicago Reader, "Under chef Erling Wu-Bower, Pacific Standard Time is now," 14 June 2018
Warm chunks of lobster are layered over a traditional nacho plate of tortilla chips, chipotle crema, melted aged cheddar and Oaxacan cheeses, black beans and salsa.

— pam kragen, sandiegouniontribune.com, "15 must-try foods at Disneyland and Disney California parks this summer," 13 June 2018
Serve with lime wedges and additional salsa as desired.

— San Antonio Express-News, "Recipe: Pulled Jackfruit Tacos," 13 June 2018
Chilaquiles, a Mexican dish that includes eggs, tortillas and salsa or mole, were listed on 10% of brunch menus in 2017, nearly double the percentage that listed it in 2007, Datassential says.

— ellen byron, WSJ, "The Great Egg Debate: Are They Healthy or Not?," 12 June 2018
When ready to eat, spread salsa mayonnaise on both sides of a whole-grain bun.

— ashleigh spitza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Picky, picky: Strategies to get your kids (or yourself) to try new foods," 11 June 2018
Drizzle over fruit salsa or your favorite taco, and enjoy!

— vitamix, Bon Appetit, "Jalapeño-Honeydew Hot Sauce," 11 June 2018
Back in the 1980s, politicians and activists even debated its questionable status as a vegetable in school lunches, though in later decades ketchup’s distant cousin salsa made the cut, as did tomato sauce on pizza.

— amy bentley, BostonGlobe.com, "Is ketchup the perfect complement to the American diet?," 10 June 2018
The show runs out of different salsa steps pretty early on, but there is no drop in the energy behind them.

— tim smith, baltimoresun.com, "At the Hippodrome, a propulsive journey through the career of Gloria Estefan in 'On Your Feet'," 7 June 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of salsa

Spanish, literally, sauce, from Latin, feminine of salsus salted — more at sauce

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1962

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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SALSA Defined for English Language Learners

salsa

noun

Definition of salsa for English Language Learners

: a spicy sauce made with tomatoes, onions, and hot peppers that is commonly served with Mexican food
: a type of popular Latin-American music
: dancing that is done to salsa music