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• Charleston
  Charleston

  noun

  a vigorous, rhythmic ballroom dance popular in the 1920s.
• charleston
  charleston

  noun

  a fast rhythmic dance of the 1920s, characterized by kicking and by twisting of the legs from the knee down

Charleston

¹ American  

[chahrlz-tuhn, chahrl-stuhn] / ˈtʃɑrlz tən, ˈtʃɑrl stən /

noun

1. a vigorous, rhythmic ballroom dance popular in the 1920s.

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verb (used without object)

1. to dance the Charleston.

Charleston ² American  

[chahrlz-tuhn, chahrl-stuhn] / ˈtʃɑrlz tən, ˈtʃɑrl stən /

noun

1. a seaport in SE South Carolina.

2. a city in and the capital of West Virginia, in the W part.

3. a city in E central Illinois.

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Charleston ¹ British  

/ ˈtʃɑːlstən /

noun

1. a city in central West Virginia: the state capital. Pop: 51 394 (2003 est)

2. a port in SE South Carolina, on the Atlantic: scene of the first action in the Civil War. Pop: 101 024 (2003 est)

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charleston ² British  

/ ˈtʃɑːlstən /

noun

1. a fast rhythmic dance of the 1920s, characterized by kicking and by twisting of the legs from the knee down

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Charleston ¹ Cultural  

1. Two cities in the South: one a port city in southeastern South Carolina, the other the capital of West Virginia.

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Charleston ² Cultural  

1. A fast-paced dance, with elaborate arm movements, that became a craze in the United States during the 1920s.

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Etymology

Origin of Charleston

Named after Charleston, South Carolina

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Charleston charleston

Graham was meeting and greeting voters on a steamy Sunday afternoon at a waterfront venue in suburban Charleston.

From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026

He was bemused when he talked to Slate on Sunday about the debate during an event in Charleston.

From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026

But after their family trip to New Orleans; Asheville, N.C.; and South Carolina spots Charleston, Folly Beach and Lake Keowee, they began to wonder if they wanted to stay in the same town forever.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

The final years of struggle were mostly in the South, with significant battles fought in Savannah, Ga., Charleston, S.C., and Yorktown, Va., among many others.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

If he’d been thinking straight, he would’ve switched the ship’s detection system from radar to sonar as soon as they left Charleston Harbor.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

The pair were due to perform the charleston to Rain On The Roof from the film Paddington 2.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2024

In 2013, she dazzled on Strictly Come Dancing, wowing the judges with, among other performances, a memorably bouncy whirl through the charleston.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 21, 2020

For their choice, Jay and Aliona chose to do the paso doble to It's My Life by Bon Jovi, while Georgia and Giovanni returned to the charleston, dancing to Hot Honey Rag from Chicago.

From BBC ● Dec. 19, 2015

Music comes from the Ceilidh Liberation Front and you can even learn to jive or charleston, if you so wish.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 15, 2013

RUNNER-UP charleston, south carolina Anglers will find prime action with whites around this southern hot spot.

From Time Magazine Archive

Related Words

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