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dance band

dance band

3 2.7
A group of musicians who play popular lively music for people to dance to
  • noun
  • /dæns bænd/
translation icon : orquesta de baile
  • During the festival, the dance band played popular hits that got everyone on the dance floor.

I was going to say the multi talented song and dance band, The Triple threat.

Examples

  • At the wedding reception, everyone enjoyed dancing to the lively music of the dance band.

  • The dance band begins, and Sydney and Shepherd dance beautifully.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Dance band music can be heard in the distance.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • You don't hear that dance band?

  • San Francisco has had Latin dance bands playing in various clubs at least since the 1940s and 1950s.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Si Limon is the best dance band in the city of Seattle.

    Blog text (5)
  • We see an empty carpeted hallway and can hear a ballroom dance band playing in the distance.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Since it was founded during the Big Band era, swing and dance band music is a strong emphasis of the school, in addition to concert, ceremonial, and marching music.

    Academic text (2015)
  • By age 12, she was being paid to play for silent pictures, and as a teenager, she toured with an adult male dance band, playing at grange halls around the region.

    Academic text (2017)
  • In addition to faculty, the school maintained recording studio personnel, instrument repair technicians, a piano tuner, and a staff of dance band arrangers.

    Academic text (2015)

Synonyms

band
vsdance band
1.0

A group of musicians who play together

specializes in playing popular music intended for people to move to at social events
big band
vsdance band
16 3.0

A large group of musicians that plays jazz or dance music with instruments like trumpets and saxophones

uses a smaller group for popular music for people to move to
dance orchestra
vsdance band
  • Archaic
1 3.2

A group of musicians who play music for dancing at social events

is the more common, everyday term rather than the formal phrase

How Big

orchestra
184 3.4
big band
16 3.0
dance band
3 2.7
combo
11 4.0

Surface Forms

dance band singular
dance bands plural

Morphology

dance + band

The meaning 'a group of musicians who play music for people to dance to' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'dance' (relating to dancing) with 'band' (a musical ensemble). This noun‑noun composition follows a common and predictable pattern in English (and many other languages), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will reliably infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Dance band comes from a simple, literal image: a band that plays music for people to dance to at parties, weddings, and community dances. So the name joins dance + band and it means 'a group of musicians who play music for people to dance to'.