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

Hamilton Park Pavilion, a former big band dance hall and rollerskating rink that was adjacent to a town park with plenty of parking spaces, was ideal. —Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 June 2025

His father played in a handful of dance hall bands. —Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 6 Apr. 2025

Red Onion Saloon Dining at this historic saloon is like stepping back in time to the gold rush era, when bustling dance halls, saloons, and brothels were popular in Skagway. —Sharael Kolberg, Travel + Leisure, 27 May 2025

Episode Three: Conflict ignites at the dance hall's grand reopening. —Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for dance hall

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