vaudeville

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

/ ˈvɔd vɪl, ˈvoʊd-, ˈvɔ də- /

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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.

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Origin of vaudeville

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

Words nearby vaudeville

vatu, Vauban, vauch, Vaucluse, Vaud, vaudeville, vaudevillian, Vaudois, Vaughan, Vaughan Williams, Vaughn

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use vaudeville in a sentence

From the days of vaudeville until the dawn of color TV, a funny woman who wanted to tell jokes was faced with a brick wall—and not the kind you stood in front of at an improv comedy club.
The Trailblazing Women Who Changed the Face of Comedy|Shawn Levy|March 31, 2022|Time
At the start of the 20th century, vaudeville presented a wide variety of entertainment genres, and comedy—often in skits, often blended with singing, dancing, and novelty acts—was a big part of the draw.
The Trailblazing Women Who Changed the Face of Comedy|Shawn Levy|March 31, 2022|Time
The facts show Robinson to have been a force for positive change, Grant says, pointing to evidence such as the barrier-breaking in vaudeville.
‘The Mayor of Harlem’ celebrates Bill Robinson as dance superstar, as well as social activist|Celia Wren|May 21, 2021|Washington Post
Robinson’s vaudeville triumphs included performing at New York’s Palace Theatre — the summit of vaudeville prestige and the venue where, the story goes, he debuted his signature stair dance in 1918.
‘The Mayor of Harlem’ celebrates Bill Robinson as dance superstar, as well as social activist|Celia Wren|May 21, 2021|Washington Post

His father spent years shuttling between jail cells and mental institutions, and his mother, a onetime vaudeville dancer named Aileen Davenport, abandoned him as a baby.
Actor Hal Holbrook, indelible portrayer of Mark Twain, dies at 95|Adam Bernstein|February 2, 2021|Washington Post
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
Joe created at Engel Stadium the intersection between vaudeville and baseball.
The Myth of Jackie Mitchell, the Girl Who Struck Out Ruth and Gehrig|Adam Doster|May 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Every election is a variation on the old vaudeville joke, "compared to what?"
Why I'll Vote for Romney|David Frum|November 1, 2012|DAILY BEAST
For a long time he wrote vaudeville sketches over the name of Cursy.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z|Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
No; only if you had told me that you wanted to come to the Vaudeville to-night I could have got this box for you as well as he.
Camille (La Dame aux Camilias)|Alexandre Dumas, fils
In 1835 the marquise defended vaudeville entertainments against Lady Dudley, who said she could not endure them.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z|Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
He came back warily, forgetting his English accent, which he had laboriously imitated in admiration of a certain vaudeville hero.
The Woman Gives|Owen Johnson
The Doctor thought this a capital idea for a vaudeville, but poor enough in real life, and doubted my success.
Z. Marcas|Honore de Balzac

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

Origin of vaudeville

Words nearby vaudeville

Words related to vaudeville

How to use vaudeville in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for vaudeville

Word Origin for vaudeville

Cultural definitions for vaudeville