What does "dance" mean?
A sequence of rhythmic steps or movements usually performed to music, for pleasure or as a form of social interaction.
Dance
/dɑːns/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A sequence of rhythmic steps or movements usually performed to music, for pleasure or as a form of social interaction.
- Grammar: dance is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: acid rock, allemande, antic, arabesque.
- Useful contrasts: address directly, freeze, improvisation.
- Usage evidence: Would you like to dance with me?
How to use "dance"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "dance" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "dance" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "dance" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "dance" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "dance" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "acid rock" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "dance", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A sequence of rhythmic steps or movements usually performed to music, for pleasure or as a form of social interaction. countable, uncountable
"I do a dance when she plays the drums!"
- 2 A normally horizontal stripe called a fess that has been modified to zig-zag across the center of a coat of arms from dexter to sinister.
"The fact appears to have been that Simon de Montacute bore two coats; the one, Argent, three fusils, which it is most probable was a corruption of a fess dancette, or a dance, Gules; and the other, Azure, a griffin segreant[…]"
- 3 taking a series of rhythmical steps (and movements) in time to music wordnet
- 4 A social gathering where dancing is the main activity. countable, uncountable
"The dance we had in August 2008 is one of the greatest moments of my life!"
- 5 an artistic form of nonverbal communication wordnet
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 The art, profession, and study of dancing. uncountable
- 7 a party for social dancing wordnet
- 8 A genre of modern music characterised by sampled beats, repetitive rhythms and few lyrics. uncountable
- 9 a party of people assembled for dancing wordnet
- 10 A piece of music with a particular dance rhythm. countable, uncountable
"They stayed together during three dances, went out on to the terrace, explored wherever they were permitted to explore, paid two visits to the buffet, and enjoyed themselves much in the same way as if they had been school-children surreptitiously breaking loose from an assembly of grown-ups."
- 11 A battle of wits, especially one commonly fought between two rivals. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"So how much longer are we gonna do this dance?"
- 12 Any strenuous or difficult movement, action, or task. countable, dated, figuratively, uncountable
"He that would watch the king's hares must not drag himself along as if he was a lazybones with soles of lead to his boots, or like a fly on a tar-brush, for when the hares began to scamper about on the hill-sides it was quite another dance than lying at home and catching fleas with mittens on."
- 13 A repetitive movement used in communication between worker honey bees. countable, uncountable
"It was seen that the readiness to dance and intensity of the dance are clearly increased when the temperature in the hive remained between 28-36° C."
Verb
- 1 To move with rhythmic steps or movements, especially in time to music. intransitive
"I danced with her all night long."
- 2 move in a pattern; usually to musical accompaniment; do or perform a dance wordnet
- 3 To leap or move lightly and rapidly. intransitive
"His eyes danced with pleasure as he spoke. She accused her political opponent of dancing around the issue instead of confronting it."
- 4 move in a graceful and rhythmical way wordnet
- 5 To perform the steps to. transitive
"Have you ever danced the tango?"
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 skip, leap, or move up and down or sideways wordnet
- 7 To cause to dance, or move nimbly or merrily about. transitive
"Met we on hill, in dale, forest, or mead, By pavèd fountain, or by rushy brook, or in the beachèd margent of the sea, To dance our ringlets to the whistling wind, But with thy brawls thou hast disturbed our sport."
- 8 To make love or have sex. euphemistic, figuratively
"You make me feel like dancing."
- 9 To make a repetitive movement in order to communicate to other worker honey bees.
"It was seen that the readiness to dance and intensity of the dance are clearly increased when the temperature in the hive remained between 28-36° C."
- 10 To kick and convulse from the effects of being hanged. euphemistic, figuratively
"If that veil can be maintained, if the workers can be kept from knowing the perfidy of officials, the criminality of capitalism, the murderous vengeance that is planned by the plutocratic powers of America, then Charles Moyer, William D. Haywood, and George Pettibone will dance on empty air, while the ghouls of capitalism rejoice because they have landed another blow upon the body of resisting labor."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Would you like to dance with me?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "dance"?
Common synonyms include: acid rock, allemande, antic, arabesque, art form, assemblee.
How do you use "dance" in a sentence?
Would you like to dance with me?
How do you pronounce "dance"?
Pronounced /dɑːns/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English dauncen, from Anglo-Norman dauncer, from Vulgar Latin *dantiāre, of uncertain origin. Displaced Old English sealtian, and partially displaced Old English hlēapan (“to leap, dance, run”) (whence modern leap). Doublet of danza.
Etymology 2
Related to dancy, dancetté, French danché.