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 Married couple Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Justin Mikita are dancing into the microseries space. — Peter White, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2026 Among their favorite memories was dancing during a free performance on Lincoln Road, where passersby stopped to watch and later attended one of the festival’s theater performances. — Orlando Taquechel, Miami Herald, 5 Aug. 2026 At dinner’s end, sparklers are passed out and lit, followed by dancing. — R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026 Windstar is known for its once-a-cruise deck barbecue, which is often followed by dancing on deck. — Erica Silverstein, Travel + Leisure, 4 Aug. 2026 However, he has been known to steal the show on a number of occasions with his cheeky antics, from dancing to the band’s music to dramatically covering his ears during a noisy flypast. — Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026 Below us, on the terrace of a lounge called VooDoo, several dozen people were dancing, drinks in hand, in front of a live band. — Paige Williams, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026 Mizuno herself was a ballet dancer and trained at the Royal Ballet School before dancing with companies including English National Ballet, Dresden Semperoper Ballet and Scottish Ballet. — Alex Ritman, Variety, 30 July 2026 Olivia’s biggest takeaway from practice was when the players were dancing during the opening stretching period of practice. — Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 27 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dancing
  1. stepping
  2. darting
  3. strutting
  4. flitting
  5. shuffling
  6. fluttering
  7. flicking
  8. flying
Verb
  • There’s literally no stepping away from the table for a classic Below Deck mid-dinner conversation.
    — Emma Soren, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Joan Jett is stepping away from the stage after suffering a serious injury that required surgery.
    — Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of stepping
Verb
  • Esparza plays the unhinged tyrant with a quickness, his bright eyes darting and weaving with each newfangled notion.
    — Christopher Barnard, Vogue, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The Barcelona forward is a different option to Solanke with his ability in tight spaces and desire to stretch the defensive line with darting runs in-behind.
    — Thom Harris, New York Times, 31 July 2026
Definition of darting
Verb
  • Others are employing the old-fashioned strategy deployed by their parents, strutting up to storefronts with resume in hand and elevator pitch memorized.
    — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Weeks before losing a three-year fight with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare bile duct cancer, on Wednesday, the 26-year-old was defiantly strutting her stuff at the Mondrian South Beach Hotel.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of strutting
Verb
  • 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
  • Within moments, someone pointed out a starling flitting across the hazy sky.
    — Evgenia Anastasakos, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2026
Definition of flitting
Verb
  • Lyman and her family stood to leave, and although none of them spoke, the sound of more than 30 mourners shuffling out of a quiet room was enough to halt the court proceedings for a moment.
    — Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The results indicated continued progress in CVS' broader turnaround plan, which has involved cutting $2 billion in costs, closing underperforming stores, shuffling leadership and reducing costs within Medicare Advantage plans.
    — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of shuffling
Verb
  • The postgame image of Brees holding his then-1-year-old first child, Baylen, as both grasped at fluttering confetti, is iconic in New Orleans.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Surrounded by hundreds of butterflies fluttering between tropical plants inside the Powell Gardens Conservatory, Heidi Boehm watched as visitors stopped, looked upward and waited for one to land nearby.
    — Sophia Buonpane, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of fluttering
Verb
  • Within a few minutes, Hutchinson has his mobile out, happily flicking through the screensavers.
    — Paul Taylor, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
  • His violent men — Scott’s sinister dad and Melton’s sad one — light cigarettes by flicking matches on their ears and teeth.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
Definition of flicking
Verb
  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was on the other plane flying with the president, sources said.
    — Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Patrick Gotwalt was a passenger on the flight and recorded a video showing flames coming from the engine as the flight appears to be flying over water.
    — Amanda Jackson, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of flying

Browse Nearby Words

dances attendance (upon)
dancing
dancing attendance (upon)
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Cite this Entry

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

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Nglish: Translation of dancing for Spanish Speakers

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