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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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:
I think my aunt gave me my first-ever watch, for prom.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Her prom dress was supposed to arrive the next day.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 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
But what happens if the prom itself runs the risk of feeling a little too much?
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
Last summer she had gone to a prom party.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
He concluded his video: “Enjoy the prom. And remember, this is Steve Carell. Take it easy, guys.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2025
“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
“No you don’t. You know? You have a sucky time dress shopping, and you’re ready to call off prom. You wouldn’t try out for the play because you’re not the best actress in the universe.”
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
The result: proms with Bentleys, five-figure watches and event planners.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
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
But with the increasing cost of living, Bartram felt proms were putting pressure on families and added she had seen taxi companies, hair salons and other industries ramp up prices around prom season.
From BBC ● Apr. 16, 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
In Phoenix, they held proms in hotel ballrooms.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
