dance hall

noun

1

: a large room set aside or suitable for dances

especially : a public hall offering facilities for dancing

2

dancehall

ˈdan(t)s-ˌhȯl   

ˈdän(t)s-

: a genre of Jamaican music derived from reggae in which an artist improvises vocals over a recorded or live beat

… anyone who knew her or worked with her knows that she loves dancehall and has much respect and passion for the genre.

—Stephanie K

—often used before another noun

dancehall music

A key form of symbolic capital obtainable in Jamaica is knowledge and possession of many Jamaican dancehall records.

—Marvin Sterling

Examples of dance hall in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There is a new bar and dance hall in downtown Denver co-founded by a young man with an old soul and an appreciation for the good old days. —Chierstin Roth, CBS News, 26 May 2026

Built in 1878, the 6,000-square-foot venue is the oldest operating dance hall in Texas, hosts live music daily, and has welcomed a heavy-hitting roster of Texan music legends. —Gabi De La Rosa, Travel + Leisure, 17 May 2026

In a June 2023 interview with PEOPLE, Wilson recalled their first date at a dance hall and saloon that was known for its cheap drinks and live music. —Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 14 May 2026

For a modest fee, Bradley created a new routine for Delroy, tailored to her abilities, incorporating the still trendy Charleston and other saucier moves popular in Black dance halls and night clubs in the mid-nineteen-twenties. —Brian Seibert, New Yorker, 13 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for dance hall

• aerosol
• alcohol
• arbitral
• basketball
• butanol
• cannonball
• carbinol
• cortisol
• ethanol
• fireball
• gasohol
• gossypol