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
-
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)
-
danced,
past participle, past
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dancing
present participle
-
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
-
a series of rhythmic steps and movements, usually in time to music
-
an act of dancing
-
-
a social meeting arranged for dancing; ball
-
( 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
-
has been dancingperfect progressive
Past
-
dancedsimple
-
had dancedperfect
-
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:
“No dance class/no “girl toys”/don’t walk like that,” writes Carrero.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Figma is promoting its new AI agent with a dance video meant to channel the way design feels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
The group were left stunned when Kimberly Wyatt personally invited them to join the headliners during the dance break of their hit song, Buttons.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
“It needs to be a dance, and you need to actually be the one not leading, but learn how to follow very carefully.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
She flashes a rosy smile before turning away and finding a new dance partner to ambush.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
One of Anthropic’s earliest investors, Jaan Tallinn dances hip-hop and warns about “racing to build a technology that could end humanity.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
To cheer herself up, she phones her mother and then dances around to Taylor Swift.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
There his life was devoid of high school hallmarks such as mingling and dating women, dances, and learning about the world through pop culture.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
School dances, held at the local golf club, would always feature country and western slow dances.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
The ponytail holders on her braids clink as she dances.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
“We’re all asking all these questions, and we’re not getting the right answers or any answers. We’re just being danced around with the answers,” said Muñoz.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Adam, I want to get you in here because I feel like another thing we’ve sort of danced around is what’s happening in Texas, where we have James Talarico.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
When Meta rolled out its AI agent, Muse, at its Meta Connect conference last month, a life-size version of its mascot, Jolly, danced with attendees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Throughout the show, the audience waved lights, sang along and - of course - danced.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
His long coat danced as his calves hit it, and his dark hair shone in the torchlight.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
It's like 40C and they're up there singing and dancing and carrying on.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
The department reported completing 19 programs and events this year, citing World Cup celebrations that combined sports screenings with art-making and dancing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
The post included a video of he and Rodriguez dancing together to “Nobody’s Perfect” by Hannah Montana.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
“He engages the white construct in a way that’s intelligent and everything, and then I see this commercial where he’s sitting there playing Aretha Franklin and he’s dancing a jig,” he said.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
The flames dancing along the wall cast eerie shadows on Paris’s face as he struggled to free Mother’s wrists.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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