Astaire

American

[uh-stair] / əˈstɛər /

noun

Fred, 1899–1987, U.S. dancer and actor.

Astaire British

/ əˈstɛə /

noun

Fred, real name Frederick Austerlitz . 1899–1987, US dancer, singer, and actor, whose films include Top Hat (1935), Swing Time (1936), and The Band Wagon (1953)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Hollywood thrived in this tough decade partly by catering to people’s need for fantasy and escapism, through screwball comedies, adventure stories and the elaborate musicals of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026

What was contemporary and cutting edge in 1961 seemed, by the mid-’60s, as a pre-World War II Fred Astaire musical.

From Salon • Aug. 9, 2025

Fred Astaire he was not, and when he realized that I didn’t fall for his charm, he began to cry.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2025

He also remembers meeting Clint Eastwood and Sean Connery - the first James Bond - as well as stars from Hollywood's golden age, such as Fred Astaire and Olivia De Havilland.

From BBC • Dec. 22, 2024

The Western Union office in San Francisco was overwhelmed with hundreds of congratulatory telegrams for the Howards, including those from Bing Crosby, A1 Jolson, and Fred Astaire.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023