Salsa
noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A spicy tomato sauce of Mexican origin, often including onions and hot peppers. countable
"Congressmen gleefully wolfed down every imaginable version of the hot dog – smoked kielbasas, jumbo grillers, Big & Juicy's, kosher dogs and spiced dogs – topped with every imaginable condiment – hot mustard, sweet mustard, jalapenos, spaghetti sauce, regular relish, corn relish, maple syrup salsa and the secret sauce of Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.). ("If I told you the recipe," an aide explained, "I'd have to shoot you.")"
- 2 spicy sauce of tomatoes and onions and chili peppers to accompany Mexican foods wordnet
- 3 A style of urban music originally from New York heavily influenced by Cuban dance music, jazz and rock. uncountable
- 4 Any of several dances performed to salsa music. countable
- 1 To dance the salsa. intransitive
"They salsaed late until the night."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"I cannot dance one single step of Salsa."
Etymology
PIE word *séh₂ls Borrowed from Spanish salsa (“sauce”), from Latin salsus (“salted”), whence also the doublet sauce (via Old French).
Related phrases
More for "salsa"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.