war dance
noun
: a dance performed (as by American Indians) in preparation for battle or in celebration of victory
Examples of war dance in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Hakas are often mistakenly called traditional war dances.
—
Greg McKenna, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Aug. 2023
Additionally, 40 students with Tongan heritage from Euless Trinity High School will attend the summit, some of whom will perform Sipi Tau, a Tongan war dance, as part of the event.
—Dallas News, 21 Apr. 2022
The men’s fancy war dance Shirley performs, meanwhile, is from the Ponca and Comanche tribes.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 10 Nov. 2021
The haka, a ceremonial war dance performed before events including New Zealand rugby matches, is intended as a challenge to opponents and a rallying cry before heading into battle.
—Rob Picheta, CNN, 12 May 2021
In Brisbane, organizers said about 30,000 people gathered, while a Maori group also did a traditional haka, or war dance.
—NBC News, 6 June 2020
The haka is a war dance traditionally used on the battlefield and to show a tribe’s pride, strength and unity.
—NBC News, 6 June 2020
This shocking development fuels Hate Trump, Inc.’s latest war dance.
—Deroy Murdock, National Review, 17 Apr. 2020
One of the students took off his shirt and the teens started to do a haka — a war dance of New Zealand’s indigenous Maori culture, made famous by the country’s national rugby team.
—Jeffrey Collins, The Seattle Times, 22 Jan. 2019
Greg McKenna, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Aug. 2023
Additionally, 40 students with Tongan heritage from Euless Trinity High School will attend the summit, some of whom will perform Sipi Tau, a Tongan war dance, as part of the event.
—Dallas News, 21 Apr. 2022
The men’s fancy war dance Shirley performs, meanwhile, is from the Ponca and Comanche tribes.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 10 Nov. 2021
The haka, a ceremonial war dance performed before events including New Zealand rugby matches, is intended as a challenge to opponents and a rallying cry before heading into battle.
—Rob Picheta, CNN, 12 May 2021
In Brisbane, organizers said about 30,000 people gathered, while a Maori group also did a traditional haka, or war dance.
—NBC News, 6 June 2020
The haka is a war dance traditionally used on the battlefield and to show a tribe’s pride, strength and unity.
—NBC News, 6 June 2020
This shocking development fuels Hate Trump, Inc.’s latest war dance.
—Deroy Murdock, National Review, 17 Apr. 2020
One of the students took off his shirt and the teens started to do a haka — a war dance of New Zealand’s indigenous Maori culture, made famous by the country’s national rugby team.
—Jeffrey Collins, The Seattle Times, 22 Jan. 2019
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'war dance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1711, in the meaning defined above
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Cite this Entry
“War dance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/war%20dance. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about war dance
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