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

The thing that is always mentioned about him is that he used to do ballet.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

Andrew Robare, a corps de ballet dancer since 2022, tore up the stage by tearing into the often cheeky choreographic details with confidence and sureness of footing and posture.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

In other performances, Joseph Markey, a corps de ballet dancer since 2021, made much of this character’s persona but less of its choreographic challenges.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

Classical music CDs and cassette tapes that Monson de Kansky records for ballet class clutter her shelves.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026

Her own plain dress she left behind on the rack, on the off chance there might one day be a ballet about governesses.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

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

The lengthier Met calendar offers multiact, narrative productions that focus on the troupe’s theater aspect, such as this year’s scheduled June-to-July season of four narrative ballets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026

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

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

Related Words

• choreography
• dance