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

The event kicks off with a candlelit dinner and live music at Zapp Hall, one of the oldest dance halls in the state. — Gabi De La Rosa, Southern Living, 18 Sep. 2026

In the Industrial Age, young people began relocating to cities for work and enjoyed newfound independence and leisure time; courtship moved from the family parlor to the dance hall. — Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2026

Initially built for Austro-Hungarian officers in the 1920s, the hotel was later state-owned by former Yugoslavia, and led a brief life as a dance hall. — Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 31 July 2026

Our backyards become little restaurants, strung with lights and softened with linen tablecloths, and our rooftops become cocktail parties and dance halls. — Jamila Robinson, Bon Appetit Magazine, 29 June 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