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
Watching Lyonne’s heroine tap dance away from strafing fire gets old pretty fast, but at least Johnson and his writers realize that.
From Salon ● May 8, 2025
It's set in a sparse recreation of the community centre where eight-year-old Becky from Rotherham learned to tap dance.
From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2025
In the 1980s, this relationship between jazz music and tap dance began resurfacing in public ways across New York and Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2023
I got bored sitting on that washbowl after a while, so I backed up a few feet and started doing this tap dance, just for the hell of it.
From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger
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
The Hines brothers inherited a tap-dance tradition on the wane and, decades later, had a lot to do with bringing it back into the public consciousness.
From New York Times ● Jan. 3, 2024
On Monday morning, Michele shared a video of her practicing the musical’s tap-dance numbers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2022
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
I can't really tap-dance or anything, but it was a stone floor in the can, and it was good for tap-dancing.
From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger
“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
Despite the high stakes and George’s defense, Lillard tap-danced toward a spot he targeted, uncorked a smooth shot and barely reacted as time expired.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 30, 2019
A third dancer in white overalls tap-danced her way in and out of the gallery.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 17, 2019
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
The evening includes everything from elegant ballet numbers like “The Heather on the Hill” from “Brigadoon,” danced with Cyd Charisse, to tap-dancing on roller skates in a scene from “It’s Always Fair Weather.”
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 15, 2023
Marx’s tap-dancing prowess would land her a job in a private Florida club owned by famed showman Florenz Ziegfeld.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 21, 2022
The revival of “Funny Girl” received only one nomination — for featured actor Jared Grimes, whose tap-dancing showmanship elevated the production.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2022
I could see any thoughts Vonetta had about reciting poetry, tap-dancing, and curtsying vanished.
From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia
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.
