bolero

[ buh-lair-oh, boh- ]

/ bəˈlɛər oʊ, boʊ- /

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noun, plural bo·le·ros.

a lively Spanish dance in triple meter.

the music for this dance.

a jacket ending above or at the waistline, with or without collar, lapel, and sleeves, worn open in front.

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Origin of bolero

Borrowed into English from Spanish around 1780–90

Words nearby bolero

boldness, boldo, Boldrewood, bole, bolection, bolero, boletic acid, boletus, Boleyn, Boleyn, Anne, Bolger

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use bolero in a sentence

Pieces thus far include pink and ivory tulle dresses with a bolero and Swarovski crystals, sold at $1200 each.
Heidi Klum's Costume is One for the Ages; Jean Paul Gaultier Launches Children's Couture Line|The Fashion Beast Team|November 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The costumes will take the stage when Bolero bows at the Palais Garnier on May 2.
Karl Lagerfeld and Keira Knightley’s New Film; Tilda Swinton May Dress as David Bowie|The Fashion Beast Team|March 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
As a modest new royal, the beaming bride covered up with a white angora bolero cardigan.
Dress No. 2!|The Daily Beast|April 29, 2011|DAILY BEAST
There's a bolero I designed this season that looks like it's made of leaves.
The Rise and Rise of L'Wren Scott|Merle Ginsberg|March 18, 2009|DAILY BEAST

We do not know how they killed or captured the larger animals; they may have used the sling or bolero.
The New Stone Age in Northern Europe|John M. Tyler
The women had on short skirts and little jackets (like what, I am told, we call bolero jackets), the bosom being bare.
The Head Hunters of Northern Luzon From Ifugao to Kalinga|Cornelis De Witt Willcox
He seems born to dance the Bolero, like Belinda, in Mrs. Edwards's novel.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
The dancers of the Novedades are extremely nimble in the bolero, one of the prettiest and most joyous of dances.
The Story of Seville|Walter M. Gallichan
We used to flourish away at the bolero, fandango, and waltz, and wound up early in the evening with a supper of roasted chestnuts.
Adventures in the Rifle Brigade, in the Peninsula, France, and the Netherlands|J. Kincaid.

British Dictionary definitions for bolero

bolero

/ (bəˈlɛərəʊ) /

noun plural -ros

a Spanish dance, often accompanied by the guitar and castanets, usually in triple time

a piece of music composed for or in the rhythm of this dance

(also ˈbɒlərəʊ) a kind of short jacket not reaching the waist, with or without sleeves and open at the front: worn by men in Spain and by women elsewhere

Word Origin for bolero

C18: from Spanish; perhaps related to bola ball

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