as in proms
a social gathering for dancing
who are you taking to the dance on Saturday night?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in steps
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 darts
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
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Recent Examples of dances
Caroline Killilea, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026
This year festival-goers can tour the world with dances featuring everything from American hip-hop to Ukrainian folk dance.
—Anna Alejo, CBS News, 10 June 2026
Strutting across the stage, hitting little dances, casting sharp looks into the camera, unleashing primal Auto-screams—Jane Remover was confident at Gov Ball.
—Mano Sundaresan, Pitchfork, 10 June 2026
And the dances tell part of the story, and the songs tell part of the story.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 8 June 2026
One aspect of that cultural exchange was the square form in group dances, which the French called the quadrille.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026
And Jaiani, relatively tall for a ballerina, is more used to the high-altitude conditions dancing with 6-foot-4 Dylan Gutierrez (who on Thursday dances as the lovely guy Tatiana pragmatically marries) and, prior to that, Fabrice Calmels — who is even taller than Gutierrez.
—Lauren Warnecke, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2026
McDougall places this élitist, separatist tendency side by side with the more democratic, but no less fertile, creativity of the people who invented the city’s iconic dances.
—Marina Harss, New Yorker, 3 June 2026
These die-hard fans memorize songs, dances, and individual cheers for each player to keep the energy high, and their antics are at least as interesting as the action on the field.
—Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 1 June 2026
Lauren Warnecke, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
Tolly Sherry dances with her son Brad at his wedding.
—Wakisha Bailey, CBS News, 27 May 2026
The food dances seamlessly between Asian flavors, pulling inspiration from Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and more, and local ingredients from the Gulf South.
—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2026
Guided by the imperious voiceover of family matriarch Ann (Francis Annis), Soames chases after the lovely Irene (Millie Gibson), who scandalously dances ballet and wants to go to Paris.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 23 Mar. 2026
Then Nelson dances a guy in the neutral zone and gets tripped … like, that’s what the penalties are for.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2026
Farrow said her favorite styles of dance are ballet and hip-hop, and her best friend also dances at the studio.
—Amy Stark Shireman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
Now, Josie dances this crazy explosion in front of her.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 16 Feb. 2026
But the composer also makes great use of the saxophone, which playfully dances through melodies that transport the viewer back to the swinging '60s and evokes the spirit of Henry Mancini.
—Alex Galbraith, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Feb. 2026
Noun
In 1932 Berlin, a trans man named Bertie dances the nights away with his friends at the Eldorado Club, the hub of Berlin’s thriving LGBTQ+ community.
—Caroline Killilea, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026
This year festival-goers can tour the world with dances featuring everything from American hip-hop to Ukrainian folk dance.
—Anna Alejo, CBS News, 10 June 2026
Strutting across the stage, hitting little dances, casting sharp looks into the camera, unleashing primal Auto-screams—Jane Remover was confident at Gov Ball.
—Mano Sundaresan, Pitchfork, 10 June 2026
And the dances tell part of the story, and the songs tell part of the story.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 8 June 2026
One aspect of that cultural exchange was the square form in group dances, which the French called the quadrille.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026
And Jaiani, relatively tall for a ballerina, is more used to the high-altitude conditions dancing with 6-foot-4 Dylan Gutierrez (who on Thursday dances as the lovely guy Tatiana pragmatically marries) and, prior to that, Fabrice Calmels — who is even taller than Gutierrez.
—Lauren Warnecke, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2026
McDougall places this élitist, separatist tendency side by side with the more democratic, but no less fertile, creativity of the people who invented the city’s iconic dances.
—Marina Harss, New Yorker, 3 June 2026
These die-hard fans memorize songs, dances, and individual cheers for each player to keep the energy high, and their antics are at least as interesting as the action on the field.
—Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 1 June 2026
Verb
Demi Remick, who currently dances alongside a live iteration of the YouTube sensation Postmodern Jukebox, is adapting Eleanor Powell’s solos from Hollywood’s Golden Age.
—Lauren Warnecke, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
Tolly Sherry dances with her son Brad at his wedding.
—Wakisha Bailey, CBS News, 27 May 2026
The food dances seamlessly between Asian flavors, pulling inspiration from Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and more, and local ingredients from the Gulf South.
—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2026
Guided by the imperious voiceover of family matriarch Ann (Francis Annis), Soames chases after the lovely Irene (Millie Gibson), who scandalously dances ballet and wants to go to Paris.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 23 Mar. 2026
Then Nelson dances a guy in the neutral zone and gets tripped … like, that’s what the penalties are for.
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2026
Farrow said her favorite styles of dance are ballet and hip-hop, and her best friend also dances at the studio.
—Amy Stark Shireman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
Now, Josie dances this crazy explosion in front of her.
—Marta Balaga, Variety, 16 Feb. 2026
But the composer also makes great use of the saxophone, which playfully dances through melodies that transport the viewer back to the swinging '60s and evokes the spirit of Henry Mancini.
—Alex Galbraith, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dances
Noun
-
That philosophy extends across the property and informs its relationship with the local community, many of whom experienced the hotel through proms, weddings and milestone events over the decades.—
Jesse Scott,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
Year after year, high school proms become more over the top, from elaborate prom-posals to full-on photoshoots.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
The 100-foot-long painting is a chance to tell not just Kahanamoku’s surfing story, but also his Olympic gold medal feats and brave lifesaving actions just steps away when a fishing boat capsized off the Newport Harbor entrance.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
3 June 2026
-
The Chandelier bar, with its three layers of bars encased in crystals, is still one of the most recognizable cocktail settings in town; Vesper and Ghost Donkey add very different but equally scene-y moods just steps away.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Club Kid runs right up to and then darts around so many potential cliches in a way that’s really satisfying.—
Rachel Handler,
Vulture,
26 May 2026
-
The striker is initially in a central area but then darts to the right side.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In that spirit, here are five smaller, more affordable summer music festivals on the Front Range that offer an alternative to big events — and possibly the most bang for your buck.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
4 June 2026
-
The festivals specialist, who nurtures close ties to Hollywood, revived Taormina’s competitive strands and brought major names such as Martin Scorsese to speak at the festival in her return year.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
At the sound of morning prayers, an older Clarissa awakens from this dream and shuffles out to her lawn, where the leafy bush has been replaced with the industrial skyline of Lagos.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2026
-
Tristan returns home and greets James while Siegfried shuffles the woman out the window.—
Alice Burton,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Upstairs, a disco deep cut plays while Byrd flits about greeting everyone.—
Mike Albo,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
-
Their father, Nahuel (Amién), flits from one romantic affair to another, failing to recognize his shortcomings the way fathers typically forget minor yet significant details, like mistaking his younger daughter’s shoe size or never delivering on his promise to have the sink fixed.—
Lé Baltar,
IndieWire,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
The event was moved up from its usual date later in June because FIFA World Cup festivities are scheduled to begin across Massachusetts next week.—
Aaron Parseghian,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
-
As the biggest soccer tournament kicks off next week, all the stars are gearing up to start the festivities over the next month.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
The movie plunks us down at Mar-a-Lago, where Melania struts out the door and into the back of an SUV, which will take her to the red-white-and-blue private plane painted with the word TRUMP that’s waiting for her at the airport.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
30 Jan. 2026
-
At the Barclays, Ellie struts the halls—all eyes are on her and her entourage.—
Marc Williams,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dances.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dances. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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