dance
Americanverb (used without object)
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dances,
present (3rd person singular)
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danced,
past participle, past
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dancing
present participle
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to move one's feet or body, or both, rhythmically in a pattern of steps, especially to the accompaniment of music.
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to leap, skip, etc., as from excitement or emotion; move nimbly or quickly.
to dance with joy.
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to bob up and down.
The toy sailboats danced on the pond.
verb (used with object)
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dances,
present (3rd person singular)
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danced,
past participle, past
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dancing
present participle
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to perform or take part in (a dance).
to dance a waltz.
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to cause to dance.
He danced her around the ballroom.
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to cause to be in a specified condition by dancing.
She danced her way to stardom.
noun
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dances
plural
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a successive group of rhythmical steps or bodily motions, or both, usually executed to music.
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an act or round of dancing; set.
May I have this dance?
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the art of dancing.
to study dance.
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a social gathering or party for dancing; ball.
Was he invited to the dance?
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a piece of music suited in rhythm or style to a particular form of dancing.
He liked the composer's country dances.
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Animal Behavior. a stylized pattern of movements performed by an animal, as a bird in courtship display, or an insect, as a honeybee in indicating a source of nectar.
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the dance, ballet, interpretive dancing, and other dancing of an artistic nature performed by professional dancers before an audience.
idioms
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dance attendance. attendance.
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dance on air, to be hanged.
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dance to another tune, to change one's behavior, attitudes, etc.
verb
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(intr) to move the feet and body rhythmically, esp in time to music
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(tr) to perform (a particular dance)
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(intr) to skip or leap, as in joy, etc
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to move or cause to move in a light rhythmic way
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to attend someone solicitously or obsequiously
noun
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a series of rhythmic steps and movements, usually in time to music
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an act of dancing
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a social meeting arranged for dancing; ball
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( as modifier )
a dance hall
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a piece of music in the rhythm of a particular dance form, such as a waltz
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short for dance music
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dancelike movements made by some insects and birds, esp as part of a behaviour pattern
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informal to cause someone continued worry and exasperation; play up
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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dancernoun
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dancingnoun
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outdanceverb (used with object)
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antidancingadjective
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danceableadjective
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undancingadjective
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well-dancedadjective
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dancinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dancesimple
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dancessimple
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have dancedperfect
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has dancedperfect
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am dancingprogressive
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are dancingprogressive
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is dancingprogressive
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have been dancingperfect progressive
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has been dancingperfect progressive
Past
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dancedsimple
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had dancedperfect
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was dancingprogressive
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were dancingprogressive
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had been dancingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dance
First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the verb) Middle English da(u)ncen, from Anglo-French dancer, dauncer, Old French dancier, perhaps from Old High German dansjan, dansōn (unrecorded) “to draw, stretch out, lead to a dance” ( see also tense 1 ( def. )); noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
A dance is a series of movements — sometimes choreographed, but sometimes not — where the person moves in time to music. Rumba, tango, disco, swing, and ballet are all examples of types of dances. If you move in a rhythmic manner — especially to music — you can use the verb dance to explain your actions. As a noun, a dance can be a social occasion, held by a school or by some other organization, where music is played and people gather to dance or just hang out. In fact, sometimes there is no actual dancing at a dance — especially when young teenagers feel awkward around one another.
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:
Glover sees something else in it: warmth, caretaking and even a kind of dance.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
They've been a great team all year but we rode the waves and the main thing is we're through to the big dance next week.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
He trains regularly with a dance instructor and practices freestyle dancing, from San Francisco to his favorite city, Tokyo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Rom-coms and dance movies are often littered with convoluted circumstances, but “Shake Your Booty!” sabotages the heartfelt story it wants to tell about finding new love and learning to let go.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
I resist at first, but she starts to do some ridiculous dance moves and I can’t help but join her.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
To cheer herself up, she phones her mother and then dances around to Taylor Swift.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
They learnt four dances, practised hard and rehearsed at home to prepare for the event, Fernhill House Care Home said.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
These dances are gonna get even more unique and even more crazy outside.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
This time, McRae dances in a sandpit, quickly flicking sand up with her feet as she sings “Sports Car.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Some children’s singing games have their roots in circle dances, while others reflect social traditions of courtship and marriage, friendship, overcoming childhood fears, or just expressing the fun and merriment of childhood.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Inside the machine, which looked like a large blender with a metal doughnut inside, blue and orange lights vibrated within glass tubes, while feathery electricity danced out the top.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
However, she ended the season with a smile on her face and a crown on her head as she danced on stage with the night's other winners.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Unitree’s robots are already familiar to hundreds of millions of Chinese owing to their appearances on nationally televised Lunar New Year programs in which they have danced and performed kung fu.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
It was easy to see how audience members connected with the music by the way they cheered, danced and sang along through the night.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Its wick emitted a gentle hiss and soft yellow light as a tiny petal of flame danced inside its glass hexagon.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
"Even after just three hours of dancing at the location myself, I wondered how he would keep going."
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
He takes solace in movies—the Richard Linklater romance “Before Sunset” is among his favorites—hip-hop dancing and learning Japanese.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
But ironically, this crowd-pleaser’s chief weakness is its approach to the dancing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
“If this stuff wasn’t going on, he would spend all of his time dancing and coding.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
“Well, I’ll be! I almost didn’t recognize you, Cassawoof, in that nifty dancing outfit. And look at you two fine fellows, with your hair all slicked back! Shows what I know about fashion.”
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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.
