cha-cha

IPA/ˈtʃɑː tʃɑː/
IPA/ˈtʃɑː tʃɑː/

cha-cha — noun

  • cha-chasingular
  • cha-chasplural

1. a lively ballroom dance from Latin America, done with quick three-step movements

1.nounB1
Definition

a lively ballroom dance from Latin America, done with quick three-step movements and a side-to-side sway of the hips; also, the music composed for this dance

Example

Fatima and her partner danced the cha-cha at the wedding reception last Saturday.

collocation: dance the cha-cha

The band opened the evening with a fast cha-cha that filled the dance floor.

a cha-cha as a piece of music

Common collocations
  • dance the cha-cha
  • cha-cha music
  • cha-cha rhythm
  • cha-cha beat
  • cha-cha lessons
  • cha-cha steps
  • cha-cha tune
Synonyms
  • cha-cha-cha

    the full, formal name of the dance; used in official competition contexts

Grammar Patterns

dance the cha-cha

cha-cha + noun (cha-cha music, cha-cha beat)

a cha-cha (a piece of cha-cha music)

Usage Note

The full name is 'cha-cha-cha' — the three syllables mimic the 'one-two-cha-cha-cha' rhythm of the dancers' feet. In everyday speech, people often shorten it to 'cha-cha.'

Word family

  • cha-cha-cha
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

The cha-cha belongs to the family of Latin ballroom dances, each with a distinct character. Salsa is faster and more free-form, often danced in clubs rather than competitions, with complex arm patterns and turns. Rumba is slower and more romantic — it is known as the 'dance of love' with long, gliding steps and close partner connection. Mambo shares the cha-cha's Cuban roots and quick footwork but has a sharper, jazz-influenced attack and a different beat pattern. Tango, by contrast, comes from Argentina rather than the Caribbean, and is danced with staccato movements, a close embrace, and a dramatic, serious mood rather than the cha-cha's playful, light feel. For example, a couple at a social dance might switch from a fast, flirty cha-cha to a slow, intense rumba when the music changes.

salsa ↗rumbamambo ↗tango ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • cha-cha music
  • cha-cha rhythm
  • cha-cha beat
  • cha-cha dance
  • cha-cha lessons
  • cha-cha steps

Phrases

  • dance the cha-cha

Prepositions

  • to the cha-cha

Etymology

SpanishCuban SpanishEnglish

The cha-cha (full name cha-cha-cha) was created by Cuban composer and violinist Enrique Jorrín in the early 1950s. He noticed that dancers had trouble keeping up with the fast syncopated rhythms of the mambo, so he slowed the tempo and added a steady three-step pattern. The name is onomatopoeic — it imitates the 'cha-cha-cha' sound of dancers' shoes sliding and tapping on the floor. The dance spread from Cuba to Mexico and the United States, becoming a worldwide ballroom favourite by the 1960s.