51Թ

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View synonyms for

dance

[ dans, dahns ]

verb (used without object)

danced, dancing.
  1. to move one's feet or body, or both, rhythmically in a pattern of steps, especially to the accompaniment of music.
  2. to leap, skip, etc., as from excitement or emotion; move nimbly or quickly:

    to dance with joy.

    Synonyms: , , , ,

  3. to bob up and down:

    The toy sailboats danced on the pond.



verb (used with object)

danced, dancing.
  1. to perform or take part in (a dance):

    to dance a waltz.

  2. to cause to dance:

    He danced her around the ballroom.

  3. to cause to be in a specified condition by dancing:

    She danced her way to stardom.

noun

  1. a successive group of rhythmical steps or bodily motions, or both, usually executed to music.
  2. an act or round of dancing; set:

    May I have this dance?

  3. the art of dancing:

    to study dance.

  4. a social gathering or party for dancing; ball:

    Was he invited to the dance?

  5. a piece of music suited in rhythm or style to a particular form of dancing:

    He liked the composer's country dances.

  6. Animal Behavior. a stylized pattern of movements performed by an animal, as a bird in courtship display, or an insect, as a honeybee in indicating a source of nectar.
  7. the dance, ballet, interpretive dancing, and other dancing of an artistic nature performed by professional dancers before an audience.

dance

/ ɑːԲ /

verb

  1. intr to move the feet and body rhythmically, esp in time to music
  2. tr to perform (a particular dance)
  3. intr to skip or leap, as in joy, etc
  4. to move or cause to move in a light rhythmic way
  5. dance attendance on someone
    to attend someone solicitously or obsequiously
“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

noun

  1. a series of rhythmic steps and movements, usually in time to music Terpsichorean
  2. an act of dancing
    1. a social meeting arranged for dancing; ball
    2. ( as modifier )

      a dance hall

  3. a piece of music in the rhythm of a particular dance form, such as a waltz
  4. short for dance music
  5. dancelike movements made by some insects and birds, esp as part of a behaviour pattern
  6. lead someone a dance informal.
    to cause someone continued worry and exasperation; play up
“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
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Derived Forms

  • ˈ岹ԳԲ, nounadjective
  • ˈ岹Գ𲹲, adjective
  • ˈ岹Գ, noun
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • 岹ԳiԲ· adverb
  • t·岹ԳiԲ adjective
  • dzܳdԳ verb (used with object) outdanced outdancing
  • ܲ·岹ԳiԲ adjective
  • ɱ-岹Գ adjective
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of dance1

First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the verb) Middle English da(u)ncen, from Anglo-French dancer, dauncer, Old French dancier, perhaps from Old High German dansjan, dansōn (unrecorded) “to draw, stretch out, lead to a dance” ( tense 1( def ) ); noun derivative of the verb
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of dance1

C13: from Old French dancier
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Idioms and Phrases

  1. dance on air, Slang. to be hanged.
  2. dance to another tune, to change one's behavior, attitudes, etc.
  3. dance attendance. attendance ( def 3 ).

More idioms and phrases containing dance

  • lead a chase (dance)
  • song and dance
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Wearing shades but no shirt, he proceeds to pretend to throw a chair at Kilmer's head, before jumping out of the trailer into the sunshine and dancing off.

From

Spontaneously, Carlo grabbed my hand and spun me around in a perfectly executed dance move that ended with me cradled in his arms.

From

Tom Pyun’s fast-paced ‘Something Close to Nothing’ uses everything from Meryl Streep to hip-hop dance to remind us that gay parents are as impulsive and conflicted as anyone else.

From

So it was something of a branding problem when a video appeared on the internet earlier this year showing Halili on all fours wearing a minidress, while several other scantily-clad women dance around her, giggling.

From

For the series’ Italy-set sophomore season, De Veer elevated the original theme, combining operatic vocals over a bouncy dance beat.

From

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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.

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