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

Earlier in the spring, the footwear label tapped into the hybrid ballerina market with a style featuring a more open concept upper than usual which was embellished with three dainty straps. —Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 27 May 2026

During her life in America, Ginger became a ballerina and later married, becoming a mother to three children and a grandmother to seven grandchildren. —David Chiu, PEOPLE, 27 May 2026

Amelia and Eliza slicked back their long blonde hair into coordinating ballerina buns, accessorizing with jeweled earrings from Sahag Arslanian. —Hannah Malach, InStyle, 22 May 2026

The other stuff, from the ballerina to the locusts to the music box and the dreams to the geisha and now the lake monsters, that’s the second phase. —Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026

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