dance
- noun
- /dæns/
- Makendy Estimphil, 18, was getting ready for a dance at his school in Leogane, Haiti.
- go to a dance
- a dance party
- a dance hall
All about the impromptu dance parties, just bring DMX.
- All about the impromptu dance parties, just bring DMX.
- I used to go to a dance out near the park.
Examples
-
We were having fun on the dance floor, and I asked him if he wanted to go somewhere else.
-
Then we can both go to the dance audition!
-
I used to go to a dance out near the park.
-
We're starting to have big parties like the dance party, remember?
-
- You got your own little dance party going back there.
-
"Did you have a nice time at the dance?" "Yes," I said.
Fiction book (1991) -
Yeah, they don't love our dance parties, but we do.
-
No one wants to be the only one on the dance floor or the only one on the sidelines.
Academic text (2011) -
We are booming down to the dance floor as a raucous band plays an up-tempo tune.
Fiction book (1991) -
The school held a formal dance for the graduating class in the auditorium.
Synonyms
A formal dance for high school or college students that happens at year end
A large formal dance where people wear elegant clothes
An informal dance party where popular music is played
A party in a barn where people dance country dances
A formal activity where couples move together in set steps to music like the waltz
A lively happy movement people make together at a celebration
People move together in a circle following set steps, often with partners
Idioms
- Informal
To spend a long time moving to music until very late at night
- Informal
To take a serious risk by doing something morally wrong to gain power or money
To take part in a traditional May Day dance in a circle around a tall decorated pole
Stay loyal to people or groups that supported you
- Informal
Move your body freely and confidently without worrying about other people
- Informal
Move your body freely and happily without worrying about being watched
Compounds
A formal activity where couples move together in set steps to music like the waltz
- UK
A traditional dance where people stamp loudly while wearing shoes with wooden soles
- Literature
An image showing death as a skeleton leading rich and poor people to the grave
- Literature
A religious dance from the late 1800s in which Native American people try to talk with spirits and find hope
- Literature
A special dance held in summer by some Native American tribes to honor the sun
A dance on stage with planned steps performed for an audience like ballet or modern dance
A traditional folk dance where couples stand in sets or lines and do the same steps to music
- US
A traditional dance by some Native American people to ask for rain and a good corn harvest
- Jargon
A low, energetic dance where people bend their knees and move their arms and legs widely, often at metal shows
- Specialized
A way of using dance and movement to help people feel better emotionally and physically
- Archaic
A fast, dramatic dance that shows a pretend struggle between a man and a woman
- UK
A traditional English group dance with dancers in costumes who use sticks, handkerchiefs, or bells
- Archaic
A traditional Indian dance performed by trained women dancers at festivals and social events
- Archaic
A condition that makes children have quick, uncontrolled body movements
A dance where dancers make rhythmic sounds by hitting the floor with metal plates on their shoes
- Jargon
A style of dancing where people bump into each other on purpose, usually at punk shows
- US
A sacred dance where people handle snakes as part of a ritual among some Native American groups
Music played to accompany square dancing, often with lively fiddle or banjo rhythms
- Archaic
A medical condition causing sudden uncontrolled movements in children often after rheumatic fever
How Formal
Surface Forms
Etymology
Dance comes from the old French danser, and over time the word also named the place where people moved together. So a dance as a social event is simply a party for moving, meeting, and enjoying music.