folk dance

American  

noun

folk dances plural

1. a dance that originated among, and has been transmitted through, the common people.

2. a piece of music for such a dance.

---

folk dance British  

noun

1. any of various traditional rustic dances often originating from festivals or rituals

2. a piece of music composed for such a dance

---

verb

1. to perform a folk dance

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• folk dancer
  noun
• folk dancing
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• folk dances
  plural

Etymology

Origin of folk dance

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

folk dance

But after Trump Jr. touched down, the two men toured the Ambanis’ private zoo, and at night they performed a Gujarati folk dance, grinning as they moved together to the music.

From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026

This 1898 divertissement by Marius Petipa, to the melodious music of Alexander Glazunov, is accented with moves shaped by Hungarian folk dance and has long been a staple of various classical ballet companies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026

Katie Nacino, 20, left, Daniel Adrayan, 21, and Sean Espiritu, 21, of the Filipino American Student Assn. at Cal State Northridge, practice tinikling, a traditional Philippine folk dance, in an aisle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2025

Arm in arm, young people of different faiths perform the dabke, an Arabic folk dance, in the Italian port of Ostia, elated by a visit from Pope Leo XIV.

From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2025

We take folk dance together and our families are close.

From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio