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

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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 dancing partners faced some brutal criticism from Ballas after performing their Argentine tango homage to The Omen. — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Oct. 2026 For instance, there’s his portrait of four cheery little brown and white woolly dancing dogs (relatives of today’s bichons and poodles, perhaps) named Lusette, Madore, Rosette, and Moucheby. — Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026 Her longtime collaborator Guvanch brought it to life over the next two months, also creating a shorter, simplified version for dancing as a wedding gift. — Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 28 Oct. 2026 The pair lip-synch to their song while jumping on the twin bed and dancing around the room. — ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026 Walk to Ryman Auditorium, the National Museum of African American Music, the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum or spend your time dancing at the hotel itself. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2026 One video shows a woman dancing in the mirror to the song that used the song’s original lyrics as text on top but adds a pointed parenthetical. — Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2026 The clips of the event that surfaced show male dancers in cowboy hats dancing and stripping on stage, reports the Daily Mail. — Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026 Charli was the smiling face of a platform that amplified those pressures, twerking and twirling like the girl in The Red Shoes who couldn’t stop dancing. — Nancy Jo Sales, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dancing
  1. stepping
  2. darting
  3. strutting
  4. flitting
  5. shuffling
  6. fluttering
  7. flicking
  8. flying
Verb
  • So, Wayne made one of the hardest decisions of his young career, stepping away from the team to redshirt his sophomore season, preserve an extra year of eligibility and enter the transfer portal.
    — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Drive your left knee in toward your chest, then quickly stepping it back to plank position.
    — Sarah Stiefvater, Flow Space, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of stepping
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
  • Thank you to the San Francisco Zoo for their expertise darting the lion and documenting the scene.
    — Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of darting
Verb
  • At the moment, the good detective is strutting around the float, kicking the wheels and pounding the floorboards.
    — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The Tigers are off to their fourth consecutive 5-1 start under Drinkwitz, and their head coach is definitely strutting his stuff on the microphone week in and week out.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of strutting
Verb
  • 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
  • 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
Definition of flitting
Verb
  • 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
  • And for a quarterback whose superpower involves shuffling through collapsing pockets, scrambling through squalor, throwing off any and every platform — such a question was warranted.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of shuffling
Verb
  • To achieve that fluttering action, the material in these baits is very soft.
    — Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Of course, her arms matched the uninterrupted movement of her hair, fluttering in front of the cameras.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of fluttering
Verb
  • Instamall plans to keep adding brands, but it is already hooked into the inventory systems of its existing partners, so expanding the service to new cities could be as easy as flicking a switch.
    — Evan Clark, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of flicking
Verb
  • Reporting from Tel Aviv Shlomit Ofir is one of the many Israelis flying in from abroad to cast their votes in today’s election.
    — Yarden Segev, NBC news, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The Air Force puts the missile’s range at approximately 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers), allowing aircraft to launch it from a considerable distance rather than flying directly over hostile territory.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 27 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 31 Oct. 2026.

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