Conga

UK: /ˈkɒŋgə/ US: /ˈkɑŋgə/ ,(kong′gə)

Inflections of 'conga' (n): npl: congas

Inflections of 'conga' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

congas

v 3rd person singular

congaing

v pres p

congaed

v past

congaed

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

con•ga /ˈkɑŋgə/   n., pl. -gas, v., -gaed, -ga•ing. 
n. [countable]

1. Music and Dance a Cuban dance of three steps forward followed by a kick performed by a group in single file.
2. Music, Music and Dance a tall, cone-shaped Afro-Cuban drum, played with the hands.

v. [no object]

3. Music and Dance to dance a conga.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

con•ga  (kong′gə), n., pl. -gas, v., -gaed, -ga•ing. 
n. 

1. Music and Dance a Cuban ballroom dance that consists of three steps forward followed by a kick, characteristically performed by a group following a leader in a single line.
2. Music and Dance the music for this dance.
3. Music, Music and Dance Also called con′ga drum′. a tall, conical, Afro-Cuban drum played with the hands.

v.i. 

4. Music and Dance to dance a conga.

• Cuban Spanish
• 1930–35

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

conga / ˈkɒŋɡə/ noun

1. a Latin American dance of three steps and a kick to each bar, usually performed by a number of people in single file
2. Also called: conga drum a large tubular bass drum, used chiefly in Latin American and funk music and played with the hands

verb ( -gas, -gaing, -gaed)

1. (intransitive) to dance the conga

Etymology: 20th Century: from American Spanish, feminine of congo belonging to the Congo