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.
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tapczan z.
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
"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
L.A. is full of talented jazz musicians and tap dance artists.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2023
The coach could do a goat-hoof tap dance around Nico’s head and the son of Hades wouldn’t even budge.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
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’s usually a defense attorney who has to tap-dance around, not the government.
From Slate ● Nov. 24, 2025
On Monday morning, Michele shared a video of her practicing the musical’s tap-dance numbers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2022
The show’s only nomination at last month’s Tony Awards was for Jared Grimes’s role as Brice’s friend, Eddie Ryan, a tap-dance extraordinaire who aids Brice’s rise in show business.
From New York Times ● Jul. 11, 2022
I half expected Shirley Temple to tap-dance through our kitchen.
From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm
Thomas was 55 in 1972, a vaudevillian in the 1930s who had tap-danced and emceed his way to modest success.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2022
Curry tap-danced backward into three-pointers, Draymond Green flexed after hustle plays, and Golden State dominated the glass during another spotless night for the NBA’s longest-running show.
From Washington Post ● May 19, 2022
“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
I was transported to a world where men wore shiny shoes, kids tap-danced, and ladies were called dames.
From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm
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
Francis still appears to be tap-dancing a bit in his first public comments confirming a Wright exemption.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 12, 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
I liked Sammy Davis Jr. in his sharp black suits, tap-dancing and singing all cool with his hair slick and shiny.
From "P.S. Be Eleven" by Rita Williams-Garcia
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