vaudeville

[ vawd-vil, vohd-, vaw-duh- ]

/ ˈvɔd vɪl, ˈvoʊd-, ˈvɔ də- /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR vaudeville ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

theatrical entertainment consisting of a number of individual performances, acts, or mixed numbers, as by comedians, singers, dancers, acrobats, and magicians.Compare variety(def 9).

a theatrical piece of light or amusing character, interspersed with songs and dances.

a satirical cabaret song.

Words nearby vaudeville

vatu, vauban, vauch, vaucluse, vaud, vaudeville, vaudevillian, vaudois, vaughan, vaughan williams, vaughn

Origin of vaudeville

1730–40; < French, shortened alteration of Middle French chanson du vau de Vire song of the vale1 of Vire, a valley of Calvados, France, noted for satirical folksongs

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for vaudeville

The odd (though beautiful) pair here is Daisy and Violet Hilton, conjoined twins who were a hit on the vaudeville circuit.
Fall Broadway Preview: 'This Is Our Youth,' Bradley Cooper as ‘The Elephant Man,' and More|Janice Kaplan|September 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Vaudeville was dead, Houdini was dead—he was off the radar.
Get a Piece of Houdini Before He Disappears|Nina Strochlic|August 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His life as the child of a vaudeville couple was one-step above living in the circus—cheap hotels and rooming houses were home.
Mickey Rooney Was Hollywood’s Golden Age Showman|Lorenza Muñoz|April 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The genial dialogue between Lovelace and her costar, Harry Reems, is like a vaudeville routine.
Linda Lovelace and ‘Deep Throat’s’ 40-Year Legacy|Tracy Quan|April 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST

They also put on an annual recital and one year even gave a vaudeville show.
Frying Pan Farm|Elizabeth Brown Pryor
Disconnected episodes, then, may possibly make a vaudeville sketch or the libretto of a lower order of musical comedy.
Dramatic Technique|George Pierce Baker
In her case it was not vaudeville—and it was only lying to herself to call it so.
Destiny|Charles Neville Buck
In securing entrance in vaudeville, color is at first an advantage.
Half a Man|Mary White Ovington
This was a drawing of "Joseph's Sweetheart," at the Vaudeville, showing great mastery over pen-and-ink.
The History of "Punch"|M. H. Spielmann

British Dictionary definitions for vaudeville

vaudeville

/ (ˈvəʊdəvɪl, ˈvɔː-) /

noun

mainly US and Canadian variety entertainment consisting of short acts such as acrobatic turns, song-and-dance routines, animal acts, etc, popular esp in the early 20th centuryBrit name: music hall

a light or comic theatrical piece interspersed with songs and dances

Word Origin for vaudeville

C18: from French, from vaudevire satirical folk song, shortened from chanson du vau de Vire song of the valley of Vire, a district in Normandy where this type of song flourished

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

Cultural definitions for vaudeville

vaudeville

[ (vawd-vuhl, vaw-duh-vil) ]

Light theatrical entertainment, popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, consisting of a succession of short acts. A vaudeville show usually included comedians, singers, dancers, jugglers, trained animals, magicians, and the like.

vaudeville

noun

Words related to vaudeville

Words nearby vaudeville

Origin of vaudeville

Examples from the Web for vaudeville

British Dictionary definitions for vaudeville

noun

Word Origin for vaudeville

Cultural definitions for vaudeville