ballroom
Americannoun
-
ballrooms
plural
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:
“It was a slaughter,” said one male member, who had to follow events from outside because the ballroom, where the vote happened, was packed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
The professional ballroom dancer also slammed rumors that she was at all dissatisfied with her celebrity pairing alongside 55-year-old Rodriguez, the talk show sidekick to Jimmy Kimmel on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
"It's one year away from completion of the new ballroom that you've heard about, and you will see something that I think you will really love."
From Barron's ● Sep. 25, 2026
The White House ballroom was recast as a security project; now the arch has been too.
From Slate ● Sep. 25, 2026
Tails are a problem on a crowded ballroom floor, of course.
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
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
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
Fans could previously wed at courtyards and ballrooms at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel, at the Disneyland Hotel ballroom, in the Fantasyland Faire Garden and at Sleeping Beauty’s Castle Forecourt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 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
The Savoy, the Golden Gate, and the Renaissance ballrooms battled for the crowds—the Savoy introduced such attractions as Thursday Kitchen Mechanics’ Nights, bathing beauty contests, and a new car given away each Saturday night.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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.
