dancer
noun
a person who dances.
dancer
1 American
[dan-ser, dahn-]
/ ˈdæn sər, ˈdɑn- /
Dancer
2
American
[dan-ser, dahn-]
/ ˈdæn sər, ˈdɑn- /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of dancer
Explanation
A dancer is someone who dances for fun, as a hobby, or for a job. The dancers at a rock concert often look like they're enjoying the music most of all. You can be a dancer at your cousin's wedding reception, or a dancer in a professional ballet corps. Though the second example requires a much more serious commitment than the first, they both require you to move your body rhythmically, usually accompanied by music. In Old French, dancer means "to dance," and its origin is somewhat uncertain. One theory connects the word to the Old Frisian dintje, which means "tremble or quiver."
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:
She said that "she fitted the bill" for what they were looking for as she was a singer and dancer "with an edge and confidence".
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
The malignant Nurse conjures up a pack of monkeys, an octet of twirling black dresses, and a silver-painted dancer to seduce the Dyer’s Wife.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Andrew Robare, a corps de ballet dancer since 2022, tore up the stage by tearing into the often cheeky choreographic details with confidence and sureness of footing and posture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Smitten by Monson de Kansky’s performance, he presented the dancer with a watercolor painting of their characters in the ballet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
“Isn’t he a good dancer? You should’ve kept dancing with him. He obviously wanted to dance with you.”
From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée
These include Klimt’s knockout masterpiece, 1916-18 “The Dancer” and Kirchner’s 1911 “The Russian Dancer Mela,” as well works by Otto Dix, George Grosz and Franz Marc.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
Dancer Chandler Davidson is one of the company’s more recent additions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2026
Dancer Yang Sopheaktra, 21, graduated from the Phnom Penh school three years ago and recalled that the training was "really difficult".
From Barron's ● Dec. 31, 2025
For those tempted to embrace Cloud Dancer in all its pristine glory, one thing may be essential: a very good stain remover, kept firmly within reach.
From BBC ● Dec. 19, 2025
Dancer was draped in bardings of snowy white wool emblazoned with the grey direwolf of House Stark, while Bran wore grey breeches and white doublet, his sleeves and collar trimmed with air.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Later, on Idol, the band walked the perimeter of the venue, stopping to pose for photos and wave to the faithful, as dancers waved giant flags.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
The National Endowment for the Arts had a couple of stilt dancers from New Orleans.
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026
During the final run of “Swan Lake,” many of the dancers noted here will return to their roles and perhaps better them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Crawlspace LA, which closed in February, similarly started as a space for dancers to congregate and experiment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
They had all been enthralled by the folk dancers from Madrid at the Dominican World's Fair last year.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
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.
