tap dance
noun
a dance in which the rhythm or rhythmical variation is audibly tapped out with the toe or heel by a dancer wearing shoes with special hard soles or with taps.
tap dance
1 Americannoun
-
tap dances
plural
tap-dance
2
American
[tap-dans, -dahns]
/ ˈtæpˌdæns, -ˌdɑns /
verb (used without object)
tap-danced,
tap-dancing
tap dance
British
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of tap dance1
Probably earlier than 1925–30
Origin of tap-dance2
First recorded in 1925–30
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:
In the early decades of Hollywood musicals, ballet had been at most a secondary art, especially compared to the prevalence of tap dance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
There’s even a subset of manosphere influencers who are doing this tap dance with Islam.
From Salon ● May 4, 2026
Wilson learned tap dance and ballet and appeared on Broadway at just 4 years old.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 31, 2026
"I've always wanted to tap dance, and in my dotage perhaps it's something I could take up," said Queen Camilla, when she met Johannes Radebe from the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing show.
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2024
Eddie went into the office and did a tap dance.
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
The allure of her physicality and personality seemed intertwined: She was often shown laughing or making others laugh, dressed stylishly, and was known to tap-dance spontaneously in elevators.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
It takes two to tango, but thus far it’s been a Canucks tap-dance all over the Kraken, who’ve yet to score more than two goals in any of the three games.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 2022
The 2019 documentary “Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back” catches the tap-dance legend reflecting on his life, career and relationship with his brother, Tony winner Gregory Hines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2022
On Monday the Joyce Theater said it would not be able to go ahead with Ayodele Casel’s tap-dance work “Chasing Magic,” which had been scheduled to open on Tuesday.
From New York Times ● Jan. 3, 2022
In my headworld, they jump on Principal Principal’s desk and perform a tap-dance routine.
From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson
I tap-danced for a lot of people, and we finally got our budget.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 2, 2025
She appeared onstage in children’s acting, singing and dancing ensembles and tap-danced on radio.
From New York Times ● Jan. 31, 2024
“His Capote is wickedly funny, a sly imp ready to deliver an off-color joke about the Queen Mum, zing Robert Goulet or rhapsodize about the time he tap-danced for Louis Armstrong. …,”
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 21, 2022
He performed in cabaret shows too, and even tap-danced in one that showcased black talent and launched the career of Josephine Baker.
From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2021
He panted and licked his lips and tap-danced in the snow.
From "The Honest Truth" by Dan Gemeinhart
It's the only song that really leans into the showgirl concept, with a percussive tap-dancing interlude and ostentatious key changes, as the stars trade lines about their cut-throat industry.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2025
In “Wine and Peaches,” company members are tap-dancing perilously on a skyscraper construction site.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2023
Because it was the mispronunciation of that surname that would inspire the nickname of the great tap-dancing Richmond native Bill “Bojangles” Robinson.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 4, 2023
Soon enough, he was taking tap-dancing lessons in between Little League games and working Saturdays with his dad.
From New York Times ● Oct. 17, 2022
In addition to the regular school sessions and the recreation program, classes of every kind were being offered all over camp: singing, acting, trumpet playing, tap-dancing, plus traditional Japanese arts like needlework, judo, and kendo.
From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston
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.
