dance

verb \ ˈdan(t)s , ˈdän(t)s \

|Updated on: 12 Aug 2018

Examples: dance in a Sentence

Definition of dance

danced; dancing

intransitive verb

1 : to move one's body rhythmically usually to music : to engage in or perform a dance (see ²dance 2)

dancing to our favorite song

Shall we dance?

2 : to move or seem to move up and down or about in a quick or lively manner

dance for joy

leaves dancing in the wind

transitive verb

1 : to perform or take part in as a dancer

dance the waltz

2 : to cause to dance

danced the baby on her knee

3 : to bring into a specified condition by dancing

danced his way into her heart

—

danceable

play \ˈdan(t)-sə-bəl\ adjective

—

dancer

noun

— dance attendance

: to attend in an eager and servile manner

a celebrity used to having people dance attendance on him

See dance defined for English-language learners

See dance defined for kids

Examples of dance in a Sentence

He never learned how to dance.
She has always loved to dance.
I like the song but it's really hard to dance to.
He danced her across the floor.
She dances with a famous ballet company.
She's a great actress, and she can dance and sing, too.

Recent Examples of dance from the Web

Grab a drink and dance the night away to groups like Nine Lives, Kid Simbah and Snarley Brown.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Coming up: a new brewery debut, Spectrum music festival and Bear Paw," 13 July 2018
From Russian president Vladimir Putin playing the anthem on the piano to Ross, Joey and Chandler dancing to the number one hit in their living room.

— SI.com, "How Social Media Helped Create a Positive Atmosphere for England to Thrive in During World Cup Run," 12 July 2018
The class teaches the basics to dance to any music, anywhere.

— linda mcintosh, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Vista Boys & Girls Club gala raises $85K ...community news," 11 July 2018
Chiron has an erratic orbit, and dances through the signs to its own disco beat.

— bess matassa, Teen Vogue, "Weekly Horoscopes July 2-8," 29 June 2018
Universal Music Publishing Group has finally settled its copyright lawsuit involving Stephanie Lenz, the woman who posted a short video of her son dancing to a Prince song in 2007.

— cyrus farivar, Ars Technica, "“Dancing Baby” lawsuit finally settles, baby is now a middle-school student," 28 June 2018
Vince had danced to some of the biggest of the big bands there: Harry James, Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey.

— edward mcclelland, Chicago Reader, "Meet Resurrection Mary, the ghost of Archer Avenue," 26 June 2018
Here, revelers meet in the middle of a field to dance to soca music while covering their bodies in paint and powder.

— kristin braswell, Vogue, "The Caribbean Carnivals You Don’t Want to Miss This Summer," 24 June 2018
When: June 23-24 Where: Kenwood How much: $79–$189 The skinny: Kick off your summer on the beach dancing to your favorite artists of the moment.

— hannah steinkopf-frank, RedEye Chicago, "Chicago festivals this week: Make Music Chicago, Logan Square Arts Festival, Pride Parade," 20 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dance.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of dance

Middle English dauncen, from Anglo-French dancer

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

dance Synonyms

Synonyms

dart, flick, flicker, flirt, flit, flitter, flutter, zip;

Near Antonyms

float, hang, hover;

scamper, scud, scurry, scuttle, skip, skitter;

meander, ramble, roam, wander;

Other Dance Terms

attitude, honor, saltatory, sashay, taw

dance

noun, often attributive

Definition of dance

1 : an act or instance of moving one's body rhythmically usually to music : an act or instance of dancing (see ¹dance 1)

the couple's first dance as husband and wife

May I have this dance?

2 : a series of rhythmic and patterned bodily movements usually performed to music

slow dances

dance moves

3 : a social gathering for dancing

a high school dance

4 : a piece of music by which dancing may be guided

5 : the art of dancing

studied dance in college

See dance defined for English-language learners

Examples of dance in a Sentence

They can do all the popular dances.
The only dance he knows how to do is the twist.
How about one more dance?
He stopped right in the middle of the dance to tie his shoe.
He did a celebration dance in the end zone after scoring the touchdown.
She studied dance in college.

Recent Examples of dance from the Web

The show is a dance between these two women who are out to take each other down.

— emily dreyfuss, WIRED, "9 Emmy-Nominated Shows You Can Binge to Escape Reality," 13 July 2018
Gullotta said the celebration might include food trucks, a large cake and a dance on the second floor of the boathouse.

— peter marteka, Courant Community, "Glastonbury, With Its Ferry Rides, Orchards, Historical Sites, Is Celebrating 325 Years," 13 July 2018
The two met at a dance shortly after Richmond graduated from Wayne State.

— george stoia, Detroit Free Press, "Late Detroit Mackenzie coach Elbert Richmond lived life to fullest," 12 July 2018
The #InMyFeelingsChallenge — in which people film themselves doing a dance to Drake’s In My Feelings — continues to burn up the Interwebs.

— charles curtis, For The Win, "Victor Oladipo, Auburn women's hoops dominated the #InMyFeelingsChallenge," 12 July 2018
Within the human body, up and down are forever engaged in a dance to the middle.

— clifton leaf, Fortune, "Brainstorm Health: Ties in Biology, Trump-Pfizer Takeaways, Obamacare Navigator Cuts," 11 July 2018
Audience members will even have the chance to become choreographers for a group dance that will be performed at different speeds.

— hannah kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Learn moves — for free — from Milwaukee Ballet dancers at The Mayfair Collection," 11 July 2018
The 2018 Miss Ramona Scholarship Pageant and Teen Miss Ramona Pageant began with the national anthem followed by a group dance routine performed under the direction of Brittany Onder, a former Miss Ramona.

— julie gallant, Ramona Sentinel, "Megan Kelly crowned 2018 Miss Ramona," 10 July 2018
That was followed up with a very emotional dance with her dad, Dr. West, who's my brother-in-law.

— Fox News, "Senate fight awaits Trump's Supreme Court pick," 10 July 2018

Origin and Etymology of dance

see ¹dance

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

dance Synonyms

Synonyms

ball, cotillion (also cotillon), formal, hop, prom;

hoedown, square dance;

Other Dance Terms

attitude, honor, saltatory, sashay, taw

DANCE Defined for English Language Learners

dance

verb

Definition of dance for English Language Learners

: to move your body in a way that goes with the rhythm and style of music that is being played
: to move with and guide (someone) as music plays : to dance with (someone)
: to perform (a particular type of dance)