belly dance

American  

noun

• belly dances
  plural

1. a solo dance of Middle Eastern origin, performed by a woman with midriff exposed, emphasizing movements of the pelvis and abdominal muscles.

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belly dance British  

noun

1. a sensuous and provocative dance of Middle Eastern origin, performed by women, with undulating movements of the hips and abdomen

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verb

1. (intr) to perform such a dance

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• belly dancer
  noun
• belly dancing
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• belly dances
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of belly dance

First recorded in 1895–1900

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

belly dance

Her entry uses traditional Greek instruments and references the popular belly dance Tsifteteli.

From BBC ● May 14, 2026

Tracye also has a vivid memory of sitting on a bale of hay to watch her mother belly dance at Pleasure Faire.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026

Just in the past few months, Kuwaiti authorities shut down a popular gym hosting belly dance classes.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 20, 2022

Over the past couple of years, he said, the Fed tried everything — “it did a belly dance to get long-term interest rates up” — and it didn’t work.

From New York Times ● Apr. 5, 2019

Here Mrs. Taylor ventured into the Street in Cairo, open at last, and witnessed her first belly dance.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

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