ballroom
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of ballroom
Explanation
A ballroom is a room that has enough space for many people to dance. Traditionally, a ballroom has either a hardwood or marble floor. Most private houses are built without ballrooms these days, but it was once common for a grand home or mansion to include a special room for throwing dance parties. These ballrooms were large, with high ceilings, and could accommodate a live band and many dancers. Ballroom dancing was originally a formal, social dance form that only happened in ballrooms. The word comes from ball, or party, with the Latin root ballare, "to dance."
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:
He claimed that the legal suit had led to a top secret "tremendous military center" being built under the ballroom to be revealed.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
In the ballroom scene of “Swan Lake,” Mr. McKenzie’s production features a flashy and somewhat extraneous role for an alter-ego of the sinister sorcerer Von Rothbart, which Mr. Stearns has danced with poetic panache.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
"There is, however, one stage I've never stepped onto and that is the ballroom floor. I'm absolutely thrilled to be joining Strictly and can't wait to get started."
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
For just a moment, he was in his happy place, contemplating his ballroom and thinking about how he might compare to Louis XIV, the monarch he might most admire if he knew anything about him.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026
"Now, let's get started with the rehearsal. First we'll run through the beginning of the ballroom scene...."
From "The Cinderella Ballet Mystery: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #4" by Carolyn Keene
He told me that during his childhood, Eid prayers were sometimes held in hotel ballrooms because mosques were too few and too small.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
And 500 more White House ballrooms, based on the latest projection of $400 million for just one.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026
They’re transforming underused spaces such as ballrooms into gathering spots for young locals, in hopes of creating a trendy destination in their hometown to mingle or enjoy special amenities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026
Demos, presentations and meetings will take place in a massive convention center as well as ballrooms and suites throughout the city.
From Barron's ● Jan. 3, 2026
Lyra was intoxicated; not about the North this time, but about London, and the restaurants and ballrooms, the soirées at embassies or ministries, the intrigues between White Hall and Westminster.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
