war dance
Americannoun
noun
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a ceremonial dance performed before going to battle or after victory, esp by certain North American Indian peoples
-
a dance representing warlike action
Etymology
Origin of war dance
An Americanism dating back to 1705–15
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.
Their promotional video shows Māori performing a traditional poi dance and the haka, a ceremonial war dance, as project leaders laud the “complete partnership” between Māori and Colossal Biosciences.
From Slate ● Aug. 8, 2025
The All Blacks' pre-match ceremonial war dance is one of rugby's iconic sights.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2023
The haka, the ceremonial war dance or challenge, is perhaps the best-known Māori cultural touchstone outside New Zealand, due to its use by the All Blacks, the country’s three-time World Cup-champion rugby team.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2023
Movement director Jonathan Goddard is in more of a haka mood, he says, before briefly demonstrating the Maori war dance.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 1, 2023
Accomplished ballroom dancers, sluggards who knew neither traditional nor Western dancing, all joined in the indlamu, the traditional Zulu war dance.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
