sword dance

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noun

any of various dances, usually performed by men, in which swords are ceremonially flourished or are laid on the ground and danced around.

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Origin of sword dance

First recorded in 1595–1605

OTHER WORDS FROM sword dance

sword dancer, noun

Words nearby sword dance

sword-bearer, sword belt, swordbill, sword cane, swordcraft, sword dance, sword fern, swordfish, sword grass, sword knot, sword lily

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use sword dance in a sentence

Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance is a different sound for you.
Belle & Sebastian Aren’t So Shy Anymore|James Joiner|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Twelve-year-old dance prodigy Maddie Ziegler has suffered the wrath of Dance Moms tyrant Abby Lee Miller.
See Burly Shia LaBeouf Interpretive Cage Fight Lil Sia in the Singer’s Fantastic New Music Video|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And with the dance sequence, we wanted something very physical.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“My dance instructor always says she earns most of her income from private teaching,” says Monir.
Iran’s Becoming a Footloose Nation as Dance Lessons Spread|IranWire|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Even for Arabic dance no one wears a long dress, just a scarf around the hips.
Iran’s Becoming a Footloose Nation as Dance Lessons Spread|IranWire|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The moon seemed to smile on him; the aurora appeared to dance with unwonted vigour, as if in glee; the very stars winked at him!
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
The men, whose poniards his sword parried, had recourse to fire-arms, and two pistols were fired at him.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
Whatever you do, don't write a word to that Carr friend of yours; he's as sharp as a two-edged sword.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood
He stabbed her from beneath, and passed half of his sword through her body, and at that the poor lady fell.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
Since words have different meanings, we may sometimes find that a pair of words exemplify all three Laws, as plough and sword.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)

British Dictionary definitions for sword dance

sword dance

noun

a dance in which the performers dance nimbly over swords on the ground or brandish them in the air

Derived forms of sword dance

sword dancer, nounsword dancing, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012