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

The ballerina was not a character that ever existed in the John Wick lore. —David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 8 Apr. 2026

Nancy grew up as a ballerina and mentions that the ballet can be triggering for her as an adult. —Arushi Jacob, Variety, 8 Apr. 2026

Fifteen-year-old Savannah wore white pumps with a few inches of heel while the younger two completed their outfits with a pair of loafers (Isla) and a skimming ballerina flat (Georgina). —Giorgia Olivieri, Vanity Fair, 6 Apr. 2026

This action thriller is on pointe with Maddie Ziegler, Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds, Iris Apatow and Avantika as ballerinas whose bus breaks down going to a major competition in Budapest. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 Apr. 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