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Synonyms

barn dance

American  

noun

  1. a social gathering, originally held in a barn, and including square dances, round dances, and hoedown music.

  2. any party featuring country dances, dress, music, etc.


barn dance British  

noun

  1. a progressive round country dance

  2. a party with hoedown music and square-dancing

  3. a party featuring country dancing

  4. a disco or party held in a barn

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of barn dance

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95


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:

Another fundraising event, a Dance for Meg barn dance, will be held in her home town of Nuneaton, Warwickshire, on 12 August - on what would have been Ms Newborough's 26th birthday.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2023

Despite acquitting herself well on numbers such as “Wonderful, Wonderful Day,” her performance was largely overshadowed by a richly acrobatic barn dance sequence.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 16, 2021

Every summer in Vermont, emerging and established writers gather for lectures, readings, workshops and the occasional barn dance at Bread Loaf, one of the oldest and most prestigious writers’ conferences in the United States.

From New York Times ● Nov. 14, 2019

Alan’s desired venue for a millennium barn dance, hosted by Jet from Gladiators.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 23, 2019

One other thing happened at that barn dance that made a great impression on Johnny.

From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes

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