vaudeville

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

/ ˈvɔd vɪl, ˈvoʊd-, ˈvɔ də- /

SEE MORE 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.

RELATED WORDS

burlesque, theater, skit, show, revue

Nearby words

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. 2019

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

Culture 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.