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

Bush went for a round-toe ballerina flat, while the former senator went for a pointed-toe design. —Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 18 June 2026

The ballerina sneaker trend is just the latest in a line of kooky shoe creations that range from wearable to wildly out-there. —Aemilia Madden, Glamour, 18 June 2026

Becoming a ballerina takes decades of hard work, but pulling off their elegant look is as easy as lacing up these delicate Taekwondo Ballet Flats. —Irene Richardson, InStyle, 14 June 2026

The ballerinas and Rodrigo then took to the New York City streets, hitting their marks while dancing in intersections around the Upper West Side. —Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 13 June 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