dance
Americanverb (used without object)
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dances,
present (3rd person singular)
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danced,
past participle, past
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dancing
present participle
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to move one's feet or body, or both, rhythmically in a pattern of steps, especially to the accompaniment of music.
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to leap, skip, etc., as from excitement or emotion; move nimbly or quickly.
to dance with joy.
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to bob up and down.
The toy sailboats danced on the pond.
verb (used with object)
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dances,
present (3rd person singular)
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danced,
past participle, past
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dancing
present participle
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to perform or take part in (a dance).
to dance a waltz.
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to cause to dance.
He danced her around the ballroom.
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to cause to be in a specified condition by dancing.
She danced her way to stardom.
noun
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dances
plural
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a successive group of rhythmical steps or bodily motions, or both, usually executed to music.
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an act or round of dancing; set.
May I have this dance?
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the art of dancing.
to study dance.
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a social gathering or party for dancing; ball.
Was he invited to the dance?
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a piece of music suited in rhythm or style to a particular form of dancing.
He liked the composer's country dances.
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Animal Behavior. a stylized pattern of movements performed by an animal, as a bird in courtship display, or an insect, as a honeybee in indicating a source of nectar.
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the dance, ballet, interpretive dancing, and other dancing of an artistic nature performed by professional dancers before an audience.
idioms
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dance attendance. attendance.
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dance on air, to be hanged.
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dance to another tune, to change one's behavior, attitudes, etc.
verb
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(intr) to move the feet and body rhythmically, esp in time to music
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(tr) to perform (a particular dance)
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(intr) to skip or leap, as in joy, etc
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to move or cause to move in a light rhythmic way
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to attend someone solicitously or obsequiously
noun
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a series of rhythmic steps and movements, usually in time to music
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an act of dancing
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a social meeting arranged for dancing; ball
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( as modifier )
a dance hall
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a piece of music in the rhythm of a particular dance form, such as a waltz
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short for dance music
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dancelike movements made by some insects and birds, esp as part of a behaviour pattern
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informal to cause someone continued worry and exasperation; play up
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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dancernoun
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dancingnoun
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outdanceverb (used with object)
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antidancingadjective
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danceableadjective
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undancingadjective
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well-dancedadjective
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dancinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dancesimple
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dancessimple
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have dancedperfect
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has dancedperfect
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am dancingprogressive
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are dancingprogressive
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is dancingprogressive
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have been dancingperfect progressive
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has been dancingperfect progressive
Past
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dancedsimple
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had dancedperfect
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was dancingprogressive
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were dancingprogressive
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had been dancingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dance
First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the verb) Middle English da(u)ncen, from Anglo-French dancer, dauncer, Old French dancier, perhaps from Old High German dansjan, dansōn (unrecorded) “to draw, stretch out, lead to a dance” ( see also tense 1 ( def. )); noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
A dance is a series of movements — sometimes choreographed, but sometimes not — where the person moves in time to music. Rumba, tango, disco, swing, and ballet are all examples of types of dances. If you move in a rhythmic manner — especially to music — you can use the verb dance to explain your actions. As a noun, a dance can be a social occasion, held by a school or by some other organization, where music is played and people gather to dance or just hang out. In fact, sometimes there is no actual dancing at a dance — especially when young teenagers feel awkward around one another.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
That has meant getting practice in at climbing centres and using poles at a dance and burlesque studio in Kilmarnock.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
But it’s their journey and all the bizarre autocratic municipal rules they have to dance around that make “One Night Only” a clever, peculiar and head-scratching standout from the rom-com crowd.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
Records, later recalls that the singer had “just figured out a way to do dance music his way, and dance music was so powerful in those days.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Howe has high hopes for “The Body,” about badly behaved Catholic school girls who have prophetic visions after a dance team initiation goes awry.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
I sang until my voice was hoarse, and in between, Sean Red pulled me up to dance around the doorstep with my green dress, the wrinkles mostly out now, swirling around me.
From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff
Beyond the TikTok dances, zeitgeist-making moments and fans supporting their favorites, Hough thinks the reason for “Dancing’s” renaissance might be as simple as viewers looking for a “joy-filled” escape every week.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
The niece Choekyi remembered Rangzen as a "joyful" man who loved joining weekly Tibetan "gorshey" circle dances.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
That dances around the manifesto commitment but, strictly speaking, does not break it.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Here, Madonna takes the listener through a pivotal moment in her early career, as she dances, performs and hustles at the famous New York club where she eventually broke through.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
And he dances in the dust like a thing possessed.
From "Beast Rider" by Tony Johnston & María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads
And each time, the notes danced away just before I could snatch the answer from my memory bank.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
As a crowd of mostly women danced the night away at Pitbull’s recent concert in London, barely a hair was out of place.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
She danced and sinned and regretted and atoned, and then contradicted herself by doing it all over again.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
Within 11 seconds, he had danced past five England players, rounded the goalkeeper, and slipped the ball into the back of the net entirely on his own.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
“And we were a perfect fit. We danced all night. The first song that we danced to was ‘Someone to Watch Over Me.’
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
Charlie described the atmosphere as "magical", and said: "The kids haven't stopped screaming and been dancing around since we've been here."
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Or if we’re feeling freaky, we could go to Club Tee Gee in Atwater for some dancing, to really have fun and feel like tomorrow’s not Monday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
It can be hard to resist videos of humanoid robots dancing, running marathons and sometimes crashing spectacularly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
“I think we would have had a good shot. They know so much more. We were dancing in the dark.”
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026
Stomp dancing was popular in the southeastern tribes.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
