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tango1

Pronunciation: /ˈtaŋgəʊ/

Translate tango | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of tango

noun (plural tangos)

  • 1a ballroom dance originating in Buenos Aires, characterized by marked rhythms and postures and abrupt pauses.
  • a piece of music written for or in the style of the tango, typically in a slow, dotted duple rhythm.
  • 2a code word representing the letter T, used in radio communication.

verb (tangoes, tangoing, tangoed)

[no object]
  • dance the tango: they tangoed around the room

Phrases

it takes two to tango

informal both parties involved in a situation or argument are equally responsible for it: I hadn’t been all that easy to deal with, myself—it took two to tango

Origin:

late 19th century: from Latin American Spanish, perhaps of African origin

Spelling rule

Make the plural of tango in the usual way, by adding -s: (tangos).

tango in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of tango in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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