Jump to:

• disco
  disco

  noun

  discotheque.
• disco-
  disco-

  a combining form representing disk or disc in compound words.

disco

¹ American  

[dis-koh] / ˈdɪs koʊ /

noun

plural

discos

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.

---

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.

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of disco

An Americanism dating back to 1960–65; by shortening

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

Their weekend offered drag performances, a crystal bowl sound bath, a disco nap break and 32 custom looks for the wedding party featuring florals, feathers, corsets and capes.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

The couple has been active in L.A.’s goth/alternative music and event scene for years, co-creating the popular outdoor roller disco event Skate Oddity during the pandemic.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2026

That was not entirely unusual in the disco era.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2026

Ride, its follow-up, is a darker dose of disco, punctuated with cracking whips and the thundering footfall of wild horses.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

Lenny is organizing his undershirt drawer with an actual flashlight, completely oblivious to the disco dance party room that he’s in.

From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden

Related Words

• dance hall
• nightclub
• nightspot