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• disco
  disco

  noun

  discotheque.
• disco-
  disco-

  a combining form representing disk or disc in compound words.

disco

¹ American  

[dis-koh] / ˈdɪs koʊ /

noun

• discos
  plural

1. discotheque.

2. a style of popular music for dancing, usually recorded and with complex electronic instrumentation, in which simple, repetitive lyrics are subordinated to a heavy, pulsating, rhythmic beat.

3. any of various forms of dance, often improvisational, performed to such music.

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adjective

1. of or relating to a disco or disco music.

2. intended for a disco or its patrons.

verb (used without object)

discoed, discoing

1. to dance disco, especially at a discotheque.

disco- ² American  

1. a combining form representing disk or disc in compound words.

   discifloral.

2. a combining form meaning “phonograph record”, used in the formation of compound words.

   discography.

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disco British  

/ ˈdɪskəʊ /

noun

1. 1. an occasion at which typically young people dance to amplified pop records, usually compered by a disc jockey and featuring special lighting effects

   2. ( as modifier )

      disco dancing

2. a nightclub or other public place where such dances take place

3. mobile equipment, usually accompanied by a disc jockey who operates it, for providing music for a disco

4. 1. a type of dance music designed to be played in discos, with a solid thump on each beat

   2. ( as modifier )

      a disco record

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• discos
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of disco

An Americanism dating back to 1960–65; by shortening

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Explanation

Disco is music with a heavy bass beat that’s fun to dance to. The heyday of disco was 1970s America, where people wore satin bell-bottoms and big Afros and went to nightclubs and did some serious disco dancing! When you go to a disco, you can recreate some of the dance moves of the 1970s. If you need inspiration, check out the movie Saturday Night Fever and shake your hips under a giant disco ball. Disco is an American English invention from the 1960s, a shortened form of discotheque, a French word that means both "club for dancing" and also "record library." A DJ spins records, or discs, at the disco.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

disco discos discoed discoing

I was in my seat by 6:45 a.m. despite leaving the silent disco party around midnight.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

Entertainer Josephine Baker, disco icons Dianna Ross and Donna Summer, and Olympic gold-medal-winning sprinter Florence Griffith-Joyner - whose dramatic acrylic sets often distracted headline writers from her record-setting performances - have all pioneered nail art.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

It happened place by place, inch by inch, a dusty disco ball left in the rummage while a Starbucks or a boutique gym rose to serve the freshly gentrified block around it.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026

You are seen dancing to Ethel Merman’s disco album.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

She takes Dee to the dance floor and dances with her during an old disco classic.

From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King

Trivia, festive family feud with the stars, cookie decorating, ornament making, Christmas caroling, Christmas karaoke, silent discos, Zumba and, of course, movie marathons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

Roberts called for similar events to be held throughout the year, saying children also needed fancy dress outfits for school discos and other occasions.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

I could hear all the traffic in L.A. coming to my house at two o’clock when the pubs and the discos closed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026

"Because he has a disability doesn't mean that he shouldn't be able to have discos to be able to go to."

From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2026

Then Mrs. Kurtz hip-bumped me, the way people did when they danced at discos in the seventies.

From "Winger" by Andrew Smith

Bill and his partner Emma Slater discoed to Cher’s “Strong Enough,” much to everyone’s amusement and horror.

From Time ● Nov. 5, 2013

The 'runners' wined and dined and discoed, and now they are back to treating us like we didn't exist.

From Time Magazine Archive

In Manhattan's Central Park, the box phe nomenon has linked up with the roller-skating craze to produce a bizarre form of discoing that not only defies description but se riously discourages it.

From Time Magazine Archive

Christina's whirl is now Manhattan, where she went discoing at Studio 54 last week with Nikos Boukis, a childhood friend whose family is also into ships.

From Time Magazine Archive

Mariana says he "is a pretty good dancer, but he would be real good if we could go discoing more often."

From Time Magazine Archive

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Related Words

• dance hall
• nightclub
• nightspot

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