choreography
Americannoun
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the art of composing ballets and other dances and planning and arranging the movements, steps, and patterns of dancers.
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the technique of representing the various movements in dancing by a system of notation.
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the arrangement or manipulation of actions leading up to an event.
the choreography of a surprise birthday party.
noun
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the composition of dance steps and sequences for ballet and stage dancing
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the steps and sequences of a ballet or dance
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the notation representing such steps
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the art of dancing
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of choreography
1780–90; < Greek chore- (stem of choreía chorea ) + -o- + -graphy
Explanation
Use the noun choreography to describe the plan for how dancers will move on a stage during a show, play, or dance. You might particularly love the choreography in the movie West Side Story. You can use the word choreography to mean "dance" or "ballet," but its specific meaning is the notation a choreographer makes on paper as she plans out the complex movements and steps made by dancers. Choreography is particularly important in musical theater, ballet, opera, and dance recitals. The Greek roots of choreography are khoreia, "dance," and graphein, "to write."
Vocabulary lists containing choreography
Dance - Introductory
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Dance - Middle School and High School
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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.
Every succession moment in Chinese politics brings renewed anxiety about who is or isn’t aligned, who holds what files, whose network might complicate the choreography.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
The intro choreography – where Chaewon interrupts her meditation for a sneaky dance – is trending on TikTok.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
Much like the film, the choreography juxtaposes joy with despair in an ever-changing environment.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026
Spelman puts her own stamp on Agnes DeMille’s original choreography, which was as integral to the storytelling as the book, lyrics and music.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
At summer camp, when the other girls in my cabin were practicing choreography for “It’s a Hard Knock Life,” I was writing letters to Maddy.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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.
