ballet

American  

[ba-lay, bal-ay] / bæˈleɪ, ˈbæl eɪ /

noun

• ballets
  plural

1. a classical dance form demanding grace and precision and employing formalized steps and gestures set in intricate, flowing patterns to create expression through movement.

2. a theatrical entertainment in which ballet dancing and music, often with scenery and costumes, combine to tell a story, establish an emotional atmosphere, etc.

3. an interlude of ballet in an operatic performance.

4. a company of ballet dancers.

5. the musical score for a ballet.

   the brilliant ballets of Tchaikovsky.

6. a dance or balletlike performance.

   an ice-skating ballet.

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ballet British  

/ bæˈleɪ, ˈbæleɪ /

noun

1. 1. a classical style of expressive dancing based on precise conventional steps with gestures and movements of grace and fluidity

   2. ( as modifier )

      ballet dancer

2. a theatrical representation of a story or theme performed to music by ballet dancers

3. a troupe of ballet dancers

4. a piece of music written for a ballet

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ballet Cultural  

1. Theatrical entertainment in which dancers, usually accompanied by music, tell a story or express a mood through their movements. The technique of ballet is elaborate and requires many years of training. Two classical ballets are Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, composed by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Two great modern ballets are The Rite of Spring, composed by Igor Stravinsky, and Fancy Free, by Leonard Bernstein.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• balletic
  adjective
• balletically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ballets
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of ballet

1660–70; < French, Middle French < Italian balletto, equivalent to ball ( o ) ball ² + -etto -et

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Explanation

Ballet is a form of dance that uses scenery, music, and the movements of the dancers to tell a story. Learning classical ballet takes years of training. Ballet also refers to the music written for a ballet. Famous ballets include "The Nutcracker," "Swan Lake," and "Romeo and Juliet." The word ballet comes from the French word ballet, originally ballette, which itself is from the Latin word ballare, which means "to dance." The word ball, meaning a festive party with dancing, comes from the same Latin word.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ballet ballets

Still, petite SunMi Park, beaming with physical confidence and musical sensibility, gave this ballet a stirring impact, smoothly supported by Calvin Royal III, whose long, wing-like arms brought special breadth to framing his partner.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

To help finance the company, James toured with other ballet troupes including Northern Ballet.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

In the early years, James also recalled he would cover the word "ballet" on the van they took to do community workshops because he feared it would put people off before trying.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

In an eye-catching debut, the impressively schooled and wonderfully animated corps de ballet dancer Kloe Walker, ably supported by an elegant Preston Chamblee, made fine work of the ballet’s “Serenata” duet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

“What about her, you fool? She is here to audition for the tsar’s own ballet, and you spend the day losing borrowed money at cards?”

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Prominent among these were ballets by Ms. Tharp, the one-time experimentalist modern-dance maker whose creations for ABT made up the opening bill.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2025

If you go back to the 15th and 16th centuries, ballets were like a party, like combining the Met Gala with a high school prom and a giant party — that’s what it was.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2024

How much do you know about one of the most impactful ballets and what will that look like?

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2024

Stafford and Whelan have commissioned 12 ballets by choreographers of color in the last six years, it says.

From Seattle Times ● May 23, 2024

Even though The Firebird, Petrushka and The Rite of Spring ballets all have narrative threads, Stravinsky played against this tendency in his scores for them.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

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Related Words

• choreography
• dance

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