ballerina

noun

bal·​le·​ri·​na ˌba-lə-ˈrē-nə 

: a woman who is a ballet dancer : danseuse

Examples of ballerina in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For Atkins, her dream of being a professional ballerina started at the age of 5. —Najahe Sherman, CBS News, 22 Dec. 2025

The role of Carmen was played with fiery promiscuity by ballerina Ariana Gonzalez, who was flirtatious with a fan in one scene and brandishing a knife in another. —Marcia Luttrell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Dec. 2025

My trick is to blow-dry my hair and wrap it into a tight ballerina bun and spray it with a ton of hairspray. —Margaux Anbouba, Vogue, 15 Dec. 2025

After two years of dating, the rock star and the former ballerina welcomed Deveraux, Jagger's eighth child, in 2016. —Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 8 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Italian, "woman who dances professionally or for pleasure," feminine counterpart of ballarino, ballerino "professional dancer, person who loves to dance," from ballare "to dance" (going back to Late Latin ballāre) + -ar-, -er-, extension in nominal derivation + -ino, suffix of occupations (as in postino "mailman," scalpellino "stonemason"), going back to Latin -īnus -ine entry 1 — more at ball entry 3

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing ballerina

• prima ballerina

Rhymes for ballerina

• acarina
• casuarina
• celestina
• concertina
• filipina
• foramina
• leucaena
• littorina
• scarlatina
• semolina
• serotina
• signorina

Kids Definition

ballerina

noun

bal·​le·​ri·​na ˌbal-ə-ˈrē-nə 

: a female ballet dancer