Ghost Dance
noun
: a group dance of a late 19th century Indigenous messianic cult of the western U.S. believed to promote the return of the dead and the restoration of traditional ways of life
Examples of Ghost Dance in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
At that time, a new religious movement called The Ghost Dance, which involved a ceremonial ritual of dance and prayer, began taking hold in Native communities.
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Lily Hautau, CNN Money, 25 Nov. 2025
The Bureau of Indian Affairs considered the Ghost Dance a threat and dispatched the military to enforce a ban on the practice.
—Nicole Santa Cruz, ProPublica, 20 Oct. 2023
Trumpism is a Ghost Dance for white, male America, an act of faith that the invaders can be banished and the old order restored.
—Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 26 Aug. 2020
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Lily Hautau, CNN Money, 25 Nov. 2025
The Bureau of Indian Affairs considered the Ghost Dance a threat and dispatched the military to enforce a ban on the practice.
—Nicole Santa Cruz, ProPublica, 20 Oct. 2023
Trumpism is a Ghost Dance for white, male America, an act of faith that the invaders can be banished and the old order restored.
—Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 26 Aug. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Ghost Dance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Ghost%20Dance. Accessed 27 Nov. 2025.
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