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
And as Jonah, Schreiber is at once contained and powerful, tall and straight, quiet and direct (which is not to say forthcoming), his brush mustache in an expressive dance with his eyebrows. — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026 Ludwig also finds room for a waltz, the scandalous dance craze of the early 1800s. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 28 Oct. 2026
Verb
At La Fetta’s newest location, the Sublime sandwich’s many components harmoniously dance together — particularly the hot soppressata, pesto and burrata — to make for a spicy and nutty bite of a sandwich. — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2026 Tokyo — More than 500,000 people march, walk, skateboard and dance across Shibuya Crossing every day. — Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 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
  • Now, Silverstein is hoping to organize swaps for back-to-school, prom season, winter coats and other high-consumption, single-use times of year.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
  • More than 40 years since Andie destroyed Iona’s vintage prom gown, here’s what the cast of Pretty in Pink has been up to.
    — Sezin Devi Koehler, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of prom
Verb
  • De Goede scored her second bounding over a ruck, prop DaLeaka Menin scored in a lineout drive, and fullback Savannah Bauder stepped two defenders in a 55-meter solo try to make it 31-17.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Betkowski temporarily stepped away from the role in 1978 and returned to California for a couple months to receive psychiatric treatment at the then-UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute.
    — Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of step
Verb
  • On the next drive, Ford took the snap and bobbled it before securing the ball and darting around the edge to run for a five-yard touchdown.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Wild guanacos—llama-like camelids with dark-red fur—darted across the road.
    — Jordan Salama, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of dart
Noun
  • The festival also spotlights the environmental benefits of traditional grazing, in which livestock are used to clear brush and other flammable undergrowth, reducing the spread of wildfires.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
  • For Srouji, the ultimate measure of a healthy industry is not simply whether a filmmaker gets a movie made or lands a prestigious festival selection, but whether that success makes the next film possible.
    — Essie Assibu, Variety, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of festival
Verb
  • Those who thought the Los Angeles Dodgers and their massive payroll were going to waltz into Milwaukee and run over the Brewers were wrong.
    — Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • From Hannah Brown to Joey Graziadei to Tyler Cameron, Dancing With the Stars has seen more than a few Bachelor Nation alums waltz their way through the competition, but there’s a reason JoJo Fletcher hasn’t made it to the dance floor… yet.
    — Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of waltz
Verb
  • Fireflies flit along her path, guiding her toward the safety of her parents’ outstretched arms.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, flit between the two productions.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of flit
Noun
  • While Dia de los Muertos is widely known as a Mexican holiday, celebrations take place around the world.
    — Zayda Rivera, Parents, 29 Oct. 2026
  • On Saturday, the Hollywood Forever Cemetery held its 27th annual Día de los Muertos event — where tens of thousands gathered at the Los Angeles landmark for the largest celebration of the holiday anywhere outside of Mexico.
    — Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of celebration
Verb
  • It’s been more than a year since Ozzy Osbourne shuffled off this mortal coil.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The Current traded away some assets while shuffling stars like Michelle Cooper, Temwa Chawinga and Lorena in and out of the lineup.
    — PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 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 31 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on dance

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dance

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of wraith

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All