1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

dance 1 of 2

noun

Definition of dancenext
as in prom
a social gathering for dancing who are you taking to the dance on Saturday night?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

dance

2 of 2

verb

ˈdan(t)s How to pronounce dance (audio)
1
as in to step
to perform a series of usually rhythmic bodily movements to music she can't resist dancing to her favorite rock bands

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to dart
to make an irregular series of quick, sudden movements the lithe boxer danced around the ring, staying just out of the reach of his opponent

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dance
Noun
After a riveting night of dance from the male contestants, the ladies took to ballroom floor by storm. — Colleen Kratofil, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026 But after the dance, the judges took Dewan’s prior experience as a touring backup dancer for the likes of Janet Jackson and Missy Elliott into account, hitting her with a rough round of critiques. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Sep. 2026
Verb
Built for polar exploration, this vessel features a cozy alpine-meets-the-sea vibe, with faux-fur pillows, plush blankets for staying warm and three fireplaces with dancing water vapor flames. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Sep. 2026 Smiling, nodding her head, dancing on her own, rapping along to her own song. — Jason Sheeler, InStyle, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dance
  1. prom
  2. step
  3. dart
  4. festival
  5. waltz
  6. flit
  7. celebration
  8. shuffle
Noun
  • The prom picture caught the attention of Garner's followers, with one fan calling on the actress to reunite with her former date and recreate the pose.
    — Sameen Chaudhry, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The past year has been full of milestones for the mother, from Jade’s senior prom to her 18th birthday.
    — Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of prom
Verb
  • There was a fresh wave of boos each time Acuña stepped to the plate after.
    — Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • From ice vibrations to magnetic signals, researchers are finding new ways to collect Arctic data without stepping onto the ice.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of step
Verb
  • Nix darted to his right at the snap as Harvey ran a flat route toward the front pylon.
    — Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • In no particular order, Elsinore darts in and out of various phases of Charleson’s life during this period, but Stone manages the tonal balance expertly.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of dart
Noun
  • Standing with a bike near the festival was Frantz Jerome, 65.
    — Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Based on the 2021 short of the same name, whose festival run included New Directors/New Films, it’s produced by microFILM, 2Pilots Filmproduction, Frakas Prods.
    — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of festival
Verb
  • Jey Uso lost to Oba Femi and decided to waltz over to SmackDown to try to get a shot at Zayn’s title.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 6 July 2026
  • Sweden waltzed to a 5-1 victory against Tunisia in its opener, with its forward line of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres capitalizing on some poor defending.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 20 June 2026
Definition of waltz
Verb
  • Behold the plight of the Ryan Murphy character, cursed to behave nonsensically and flit wildly from plotline to plotline based on the writer’s whims.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026
  • City juggled negotiations with Gakpo and Ndiaye in the past seven days, enabling them to flit between the two depending on who was most desired or, in the event, most realistic.
    — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of flit
Noun
  • In Barranquilla, an exclusive celebration at the embarkation point channels the city’s carnival, a convergence of African, Indigenous, and Spanish traditions brought to life through cumbia, mapalé, and color on every departure, year-round.
    — Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Last April, Phuwin appeared in a Loewe campaign based on Songkran, the Thai New Year’s celebration that has been likened to a nationwide water fight, though its rituals are meant to symbolize cleansing, reverence and good fortune.
    — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of celebration
Verb
  • The space suddenly swells with agents, assistants, clients and others shuffling through for lunch.
    — Oren Peleg, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Others, for certain, are incubated by gridiron versions of cheer moms, who shuffle their sons around in search of stardom.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of shuffle

Phrases Containing dance

Browse Nearby Words

dam (up)
dance
dance attendance (upon)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dance. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on dance

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dance

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All