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
One dance number that fans are already looking forward to is Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa's performance. — ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026 As Minneapolis residents and businesses continue to feel the effects of Operation Metro Surge, a new city initiative is creating opportunities for people to reconnect through music and dance. — Wcco Staff, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Verb
The two started dancing and the man asked Lara’s friend to go up to his room. — Taylor Galgano, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026 Swank shared a video showing four glow-in-the-dark stick figures dancing, one of whom is pregnant. — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 14 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
  • The goal is to show off how the high school gym has transformed into a high school prom, with all the stars and tinsel that implies.
    — Alex Zalben, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Who are the other girls in the room, and who sent those other girls to the prom, and why?
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of prom
Verb
  • Ines De Ramon stepped onto the London red carpet in a sheer lace gown on Friday night accompanied by boyfriend Brad Pitt.
    — Erin Wisti, Footwear News, 10 Oct. 2026
  • After steadily growing his onscreen career in recent years, Rohan Campbell is ready to step behind the camera.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of step
Verb
  • Through the first four games of the Broncos’ 2026 season, though, those openings have been harder to spot and dart to.
    — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 9 Oct. 2026
  • In non-linear fashion, Sorkin’s scenario darts back and forth between 2018, ’19, ’20 and ’21, offering a puzzle that eventually will come all together.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of dart
Noun
  • Sony Pictures Classics picked up worldwide rights during the festival, and the film has since played Toronto’s Discovery program.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
  • That’s why a nascent festival this week also deserves your love.
    — John Wenzel, Denver Post, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of festival
Verb
  • 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
  • My cat decided to waltz in front of the phone's camera during the VO2 Max test at one point, and the test continued despite the brief obstruction.
    — Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of waltz
Verb
  • Stellantis There's also all the homologation and regulatory hurdles attached to having something that flits between being a passenger-car and a light truck.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Multiple anglers reeled in yellowfin tuna, which were visible through the clear water flitting back and forth near the boat.
    — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of flit
Noun
  • The numbers have grown as well, ballooning to around 5,000 during the height of the semiquincentennial celebration.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The farm's latest maze pays tribute to country music legend Dolly Parton, combining a fall favorite with a celebration of the singer's music and philanthropy.
    — Alexa Liacko, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of celebration
Verb
  • Kering is starting to clean house, having already shuffled creative directors at Gucci, Balenciaga and Bottega Veneta.
    — Merle Ginsberg, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Green tea was served by gang members shuffling around in slippers.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 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 17 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 syncretic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

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

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
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
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All