variants
or less commonly ceili
Scotland and Ireland
: a party with music, dancing, and often storytelling
Examples of ceilidh in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Apparently the best and prettiest dancer gets chosen, but the only thing Ellen really cares about is that Brian also makes his way into the ceilidh and winds up her temporary partner during the group dance.
—
Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 29 Aug. 2025
Dancing The Irish Network hosts its annual ceili (dance) from 4 to 7pm Sunday at the Hyatt Centric French Quarter.
—Carlie Kollath Wells, Axios, 14 Mar. 2025
The night concluded with a ceilidh hosted by Amber’s music school friends, the Haggis Chasers.
—Rebecca Cope, Vogue, 10 Oct. 2024
The Scotland episode sandwiches the synagogue moment with Levy standing in an ornate castle doing Sean Connery impressions, visiting a tailor to custom-make a kilt, and at a ceilidh, dancing in a kilt and making jokes about the ventilation.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Aug. 2024
Make sure to grab a wee dram at The Malt Room, Inverness’ first whisky bar, followed by Hootananny, a ceilidh cafe for live traditional Scottish folk music (even Mumford and Sons have played here).
—Marisel Salazar, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Dec. 2022
She’s a member of the Irish American Club and a traditional Irish ceilidh dancer.
—Elissa Welle, Detroit Free Press, 9 Feb. 2022
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Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 29 Aug. 2025
Dancing The Irish Network hosts its annual ceili (dance) from 4 to 7pm Sunday at the Hyatt Centric French Quarter.
—Carlie Kollath Wells, Axios, 14 Mar. 2025
The night concluded with a ceilidh hosted by Amber’s music school friends, the Haggis Chasers.
—Rebecca Cope, Vogue, 10 Oct. 2024
The Scotland episode sandwiches the synagogue moment with Levy standing in an ornate castle doing Sean Connery impressions, visiting a tailor to custom-make a kilt, and at a ceilidh, dancing in a kilt and making jokes about the ventilation.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Aug. 2024
Make sure to grab a wee dram at The Malt Room, Inverness’ first whisky bar, followed by Hootananny, a ceilidh cafe for live traditional Scottish folk music (even Mumford and Sons have played here).
—Marisel Salazar, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Dec. 2022
She’s a member of the Irish American Club and a traditional Irish ceilidh dancer.
—Elissa Welle, Detroit Free Press, 9 Feb. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Ceilidh.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ceilidh. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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