dancing

verb

present participle of dance
1
as in stepping
to perform a series of usually rhythmic bodily movements to music she can't resist dancing to her favorite rock bands

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in darting
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 dancing The all-singing, all-dancing comedy drama will also debut in China on Tencent Kids, Youku Kids and BesTV (dates still to be confirmed). — K.j. Yossman, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026 And then the other thing was that my friends who were in the audience told me that people in the audience were making out, not only dancing, but actually making out. — Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 7 Oct. 2026 Upon entering the room, Brando put on a radio, and the two started dancing. — David Morgan, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026 But dancers take the stage too because when Cubans play music, there will assuredly be dancing. — Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 30 Sep. 2026 Instead, everyone in the main room is dancing under a glistening disco ball to the syncopations of Riva, a three-piece comprised of a psychedelic saxophonist, drummer and keyboardist. — Mary Carreon, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026 It’s been said that writing about music is like dancing about architecture. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026 Schoonmaker’s inventiveness produced one of the movie’s most memorable scenes, where Turturro and Eric Stoltz’s characters talk while dancing. — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 29 Sep. 2026 After dancing a promising cha-cha on week 1, Bersten and his season 35 partner, Giada De Laurentiis, found themselves in the bottom three following a disappointing salsa. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dancing
  1. stepping
  2. darting
  3. strutting
  4. flitting
  5. shuffling
  6. fluttering
  7. flicking
  8. flying
Verb
  • That path from leading man to auteur is a familiar one in Hollywood, with notables like Warren Beatty, Clint Eastwood and Kevin Costner establishing themselves as major directors without stepping away from leading in their own films.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Cleveland Clinic suggests capping continuous phone or tablet sessions at about 15 to 30 minutes before stepping away.
    — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of stepping
Verb
  • Thank you to the San Francisco Zoo for their expertise darting the lion and documenting the scene.
    — Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026
  • One TikTok of the scrappy piggy dodging cars and darting between would-be animal rescuers’ legs racked up nearly a half million views.
    — Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of darting
Verb
  • This particular footwear has been becoming increasingly trendy in recent years, with many a platform shoe strutting down the 2026 Primetime Emmy red carpet.
    — Erin Wisti, Footwear News, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Vogue and Ciara revealed the surprise in a joint Instagram post after the show, sharing footage of the 40-year-old musician strutting through the presentation in a series of increasingly dramatic looks.
    — Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of strutting
Verb
  • Upon further review of the camera footage, Sam Gough, a park supervisor for the Incline Village General Improvement District, said the light appeared to be just a bug flitting across the lens.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • An airy, not-too-sweet vanilla like Taunt is the perfect encapsulation of a Gemini who’s always flitting from one topic of interest to the next.
    — Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 14 July 2026
Definition of flitting
Verb
  • Ivey and his partner persuaded the Crockfords dealer to rotate the high-value cards 180 degrees before shuffling them back into the pack, citing some obscure superstition as justification.
    — Kit Chellel, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
  • At the end of all that immersiveness, exiting out onto the physical street to join the crowds of shuffling tourists and fend off sullen Elmos makes Times Square feel like the soul of authenticity.
    — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of shuffling
Verb
  • Of course, her arms matched the uninterrupted movement of her hair, fluttering in front of the cameras.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Tribute upon floral tribute—their petals, leaves, and memorial cards fluttering in the gentle breeze.
    — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of fluttering
Verb
  • Coming for a variety of longtime critics of the merger, opposition rose and suspicion about the settlement served to pour gasoline on an already flicking fire.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026
  • He’s getting hit sometimes, and just flicking this ball out there.
    — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of flicking
Verb
  • Bombers flying from South Dakota to targets in Iran would cost more in fuel and flying time than those taking off from England's Cotswolds region, which is 3,900 miles closer to Tehran.
    — Steve Hendrix, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Experts who study bats say that, although residents should practice caution, the odds of getting rabies from the flying creatures remain very low.
    — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of flying

Browse Nearby Words

dances attendance (upon)
dancing
dancing attendance (upon)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dancing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dancing. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
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 abscond

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

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

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

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

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. 9

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

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
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All