prom
noun
a formal dance, especially one held by a high school or college class at the end of an academic year.
prom
1 American
[prom]
/ prɒm /
noun
-
proms
plural
PROM
2
American
[prom]
/ prɒm /
noun
Computers.
prom.
3
American
abbreviation
prom
1
British
/ prɒm /
noun
-
short for promenade promenade concert
-
informal short for promenade
PROM
2
British
/ prɒm /
acronym
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of prom1
1890–95, short for promenade
Origin of PROM2
p(rogrammable) r(ead)-o(nly) m(emory)
Explanation
A prom is a formal dance at the end of a school year. For many American high schools, the senior prom is a big deal. Kids get dressed up and then get embarrassed by parents who take too many photos. Students going to a prom will sometimes rent limousines to get there, and dress in fancy gowns and tuxedos. The prom itself is generally a much fancier version of a school dance, often held in a hotel or a gussied-up school gymnasium. The word dates from the late nineteenth century, an American English shortening of promenade, which means "to stroll," but also "to dance in couples with joined hands."
Vocabulary lists containing prom
"Fleeing Katrina"
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for June 5–June 11, 2021
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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:
There are plans to turn Friday's pop-up, where parents could donate or take home items including coats, blazers and prom dresses, into a regular event.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
He said he and Alice's daughter Delsie, 17, had wanted to make sure she felt present at her prom so ensured she was in the photographs.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
In high school, while their classmates were attending prom and cheering at football games, Olaf Hichwa and Soren Monroe-Anderson were building drones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
It made up for missed teenage rites of passage — the senior prom, the homecoming dance, the debutante ball — by doubling down on sentimentality.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
“I always imagined living here forever. I thought Jessie and Isa would leave for prom from here. We would take a photo of them right there.”
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
“I’m super appreciative of every single activity that they are able to do, from grad night, to senior prom. All of it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2022
“Second of all I can’t take it anymore how much you are all missing your prom. So let’s do something about it! Let’s have an #SGNprom ! Yup, I’ll DJ with some friends on Friday.”
From Fox News ● Apr. 16, 2020
“I would have finished high school, gone to the prom. I wouldn’t have suffered the psychological impact of incarceration or the difficulties acclimating back to society.”
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2018
“I never went to a prom. I was taken out of school at age 13, and have no high school or college diplomas.”
From Washington Post ● Jan. 20, 2017
“I was just filling everyone in on dinner plans for prom. We have a six o’clock reservation at the American Grill Bistro at North Point Mall. It’s about twenty minutes from the nature center.”
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
The stores sell dresses for proms, special occasions and quinceañeras, a Latin American rite of passage celebrating a young girl’s 15th birthday and her transition to adulthood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026
Several generations have heard EWF at their proms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
Across the country, the end of exam season marks the start of parties and proms for year 11 and 13 students, all keen to dress to the nines and arrive in style.
From BBC ● May 21, 2026
Suri has previously built and scaled loyalty and rewards proms at companies like Under Armour and United Airlines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
She has big plans for the younger ones: graduations, proms, college, professions.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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.
