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:
It also features sparkling cameos from Penélope Cruz as a sultry cabaret dancer and Glenn Close as a Spanish-speaking American professor.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
In an eye-catching debut, the impressively schooled and wonderfully animated corps de ballet dancer Kloe Walker, ably supported by an elegant Preston Chamblee, made fine work of the ballet’s “Serenata” duet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
The actress, 64, had been paired with professional dancer Aljaz Skorjanec, 36.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
"It's the same dancer with a different choreography," she says.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 5, 2026
She hopped her dancer right up to the American lady and gave her a bow.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
Ben Dancer, 33, has been dancing professionally for 18 years.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
She has previously hosted The Greatest Dancer and the Eurovision Song Contest when it was hosted by the UK in Liverpool in 2023.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
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
When we try to control all of the parameters of our attraction and devotion, we leave no room for the great Dancer to improvise the next move in our life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2026
"We need money so that we can stage our production of Tiny Dancer."
From "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan
The dancers were married for 20 years, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Ruprecht compares the behavior to a row of dancers standing with their arms linked.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 5, 2026
It isn’t lost on the filmmakers that the contrast between dancers and their audience—the former necessarily young, the latter increasingly older—is a phenomenon that poses a threat to all the classical arts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Dance routines with two dancers dressed in red tartan kilts and bonnets accompanied the music.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
In the crowd you saw only the heads and shoulders of the dancers going up and down.
From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway
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