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• Charleston
  Charleston

  noun

  a vigorous, rhythmic ballroom dance popular in the 1920s.
• charleston
  charleston

  noun

  a fast rhythmic dance of the 1920s, characterized by kicking and by twisting of the legs from the knee down

Charleston

¹ American  

[chahrlz-tuhn, chahrl-stuhn] / ˈtʃɑrlz tən, ˈtʃɑrl stən /

noun

1. a vigorous, rhythmic ballroom dance popular in the 1920s.

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verb (used without object)

1. to dance the Charleston.

Charleston ² American  

[chahrlz-tuhn, chahrl-stuhn] / ˈtʃɑrlz tən, ˈtʃɑrl stən /

noun

1. a seaport in SE South Carolina.

2. a city in and the capital of West Virginia, in the W part.

3. a city in E central Illinois.

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Charleston ¹ British  

/ ˈtʃɑːlstən /

noun

1. a city in central West Virginia: the state capital. Pop: 51 394 (2003 est)

2. a port in SE South Carolina, on the Atlantic: scene of the first action in the Civil War. Pop: 101 024 (2003 est)

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charleston ² British  

/ ˈtʃɑːlstən /

noun

1. a fast rhythmic dance of the 1920s, characterized by kicking and by twisting of the legs from the knee down

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Charleston ¹ Cultural  

1. Two cities in the South: one a port city in southeastern South Carolina, the other the capital of West Virginia.

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Charleston ² Cultural  

1. A fast-paced dance, with elaborate arm movements, that became a craze in the United States during the 1920s.

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Etymology

Origin of Charleston

Named after Charleston, South Carolina

Example Sentences

The business woes persist “on so many different fronts it’s hard to even list,” said an April editorial in the Charleston Gazette-Mail.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026

For example, the Colored People’s Convention that met in 1865 in Charleston, South Carolina, argued that equal voting rights were “inherent and essential to every republican form of government.”

From Slate • Jun. 3, 2026

There were also limited editions such as the Charleston, the Dolly and a "007" version to coincide with the 1981 James Bond Movie "For Your Eyes Only" that featured a yellow 2CV.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

New York City was the site of the second-largest disparity last year; Jacksonville and Tampa, both in Florda, came in third and fourth, respectively; and Charleston, S.C., came in fifth.

From MarketWatch • May 1, 2026

On August 12, 1863, after having completed trial runs in Mobile Bay, the Hunley was transported by rail to Charleston, South Carolina.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

Related Words

• disco
• samba
• tango
• waltz