disco

noun dis·co \ ˈdis-(ˌ)kō \

|Updated on: 18 Jun 2018

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of disco

plural discos

1 : a nightclub for dancing to live and recorded music

2 : popular dance music characterized by hypnotic rhythm, repetitive lyrics, and electronically produced sounds

See disco defined for English-language learners

See disco defined for kids

Recent Examples of disco from the Web

The film — which was directed by John Badham — popularized disco music across the world.

— dave quinn, PEOPLE.com, "Pizza Inferno: John Travolta Channels Saturday Night Fever at Brooklyn Event in His Honor," 13 June 2018
The party, which has taken place at both the Royal and Empire Suites, is hosted on two floors of the hotel, decked out with a piano bar and disco—and, of course, omelets.

— hilary weaver, Vanities, "Welcome to the Unofficial Tonys After-Party After-Party," 8 June 2018
The finale came in a march of bare-chested men painted in silver glitter to go with their black disco pants.

— Washington Post, "French fashion powerhouse Saint Laurent takes New Jersey," 7 June 2018
On Thursday, June 7, local psychedelic disco group Shuttle Run headline the Empty Bottle to celebrate their dreamy new album, All These Lights.

— leor galil, Chicago Reader, "Goth doesn’t age, but DJ Scary Lady Sarah’s Nocturna party is turning 30," 5 June 2018
From the languid sway of the bay laurel trees to the disco shimmer of the quaking aspens to the Dude-like serenity of the redwoods, a vague drugginess wafts over the place.

— chris colin, Outside Online, "Drawing a Line in the Sand Over River Rights," 30 May 2018
At one point Clarke’s Qi’ra shimmers into a room wearing a slinky black Halston-style gown with a decorative metal disco-choker attached, like something Bianca Jagger would have worn to Studio 54.

— stephanie zacharek, Time, "Review: Solo Is an Uneven Star Wars Film. But It's Filled With Terrific Performances," 16 May 2018
The plan was to set up, run through a few songs, then return to the hotel for a disco nap.

— nick paumgarten, The New Yorker, "The Kush That Keeps Paul Kalkbrenner Up All Night," 14 May 2018
Team ’70s Football put on quite a show too, earning a slightly higher collective score than the tennis group with this catchy disco performance.

— andrew joseph, For The Win, "8 key moments from latest DWTS, including Tonya Harding's odd dance with a bear," 8 May 2018

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

Did You Know?

A style of dance music that arose in the mid-1970s, disco (short for discotheque), is characterized by hypnotic rhythm, repetitive lyrics, and electronically produced sounds. Disco evolved largely from New York underground nightclubs, in which disc jockeys would play dance records for hours without interruption, taking care to synchronize the beats so as to make a seamless change between records. Artists such as Donna Summer, Chic, and the Bee Gees, had hits in the genre, which peaked with the release of the film Saturday Night Fever (1977). Disco faded after 1980, but its influence, especially its sequenced electronic beats, still affects much of pop music.

Origin and Etymology of disco

short for discotheque

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1963

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

disco

verb

Definition of disco

intransitive verb

: to dance to disco music

Recent Examples of disco from the Web

Your soup can and disco looks didn't impress the judges.

— joey guerra, Houston Chronicle, "Aja talks reintroducing herself on 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' 3," 23 Feb. 2018
Zendaya channeled her inner ‘70s disco Barbie on Monday (August 7) evening, attending Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood Event wearing an ombré pink sparkly pantsuit by designer Vivetta.

— avery matera, Teen Vogue, "Zendaya Wears a Pink Sequined Suit on the Red Carpet," 10 Aug. 2017

First Known Use of disco

1976

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

disco-

combining form

Definition of disco-

— see disc-

DISCO Defined for English Language Learners

disco

noun

Definition of disco for English Language Learners

: a nightclub where people dance to recorded popular music
: a type of popular dance music

Learn More about disco

Spanish Central: Translation of disco Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about disco

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Origin and Etymology of disco

disco

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disco-

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disco

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Origin and Etymology of disco

disco

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