ballet

American  

[ba-ley, bal-ey] / 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, bæˈlɛtɪk, 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

Etymology

Origin of ballet

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

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

As a trained ballet dancer, I love structure, rules and the methodological algorithm of how story ballets go.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

I was expecting a spare space with nothing more than a mirror and ballet barre.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Yoko Morishita was 3 years old when she first put on a pair of ballet shoes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

She gave her first ballet performance at 6 on the tiny stage in front of the screen in a Hiroshima movie theater.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

"So maybe Nadine stole the slippers to ruin the 'Cinderella' ballet for Andrea and everybody else," Nancy mused.

From "The Cinderella Ballet Mystery: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #4" by Carolyn Keene

Stravinsky had spent nearly two decades working inside self-imposed forms—neoclassical symphonies and ballets built on borrowed material.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026

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

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

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

From Seattle Times ● May 23, 2024

Stravinsky’s first spell of collaboration with Diaghilev comprised three ballets: The Firebird in 1910, Petrushka in 1911 and The Rite of Spring in 1913.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Related Words

• choreography
• dance