Definition of "bhangra" [bhangra]

• A Punjabi dance music traditionally performed during harvest festivals and weddings, characterized by the beating of a large, two-headed drum. (noun)
• A popular style of music combining traditional bhangra drumming with modern Western instruments and rhythms. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "'Psychedelic bhangra' is no real musical term, but I see what the kid was getting at."
• "At first it was music -- a funked-up version of a Punjabi folk dance called bhangra -- that gave British-Asians a voice."
• "The weight-shedding Punjabi 'bhangra' dance exercise has beensuccessfully adopted by the Bathinda police in the state of Punjabin India andwill be followedprobably bythe entire state to make cops fitter and healthier."