Meaning & use
dance
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To move your body in time with music, often following steps or a pattern.
Grammar: Usually without an object: they danced all night. With one, it names the dance: dance the waltz.
Patterns
- dance with someone
- dance to something
- dance something
They danced until the band stopped playing.
She danced the tango with her uncle at the wedding.
The children danced to their favorite song.
nouncountable
A set of body movements performed to music, or a particular style of such movements.
Grammar: Countable for a style or piece: a folk dance. Uncountable for the art: she studies dance.
Patterns
- a dance of something
- do a dance
The tango is a dance from Argentina.
The teacher showed us a simple dance for beginners.
He learned a new dance for the school show.
nouncountable
A social event where people dance, especially a school or village party.
Grammar: Often with go to: go to the spring dance.
Patterns
- go to a dance
The school dance starts at seven in the gym.
They met at a village dance in 1965.
She asked him to the winter dance.
verbintransitiveliteraryfigurative
To move in a light, quick, lively way, as if in rhythm.
Grammar: Often used with things like light or flames: sunlight danced on the water.
Patterns
- dance on something
- dance around
Flames danced in the fireplace.
Her eyes danced with amusement.
Sunlight danced on the surface of the lake.
Word forms
| third person singular | dances |
|---|---|
| past tense | danced |
| past participle | danced |
| -ing form | dancing |
| plural | dances |
Common combinations
- dance floor
- The dance floor was packed by ten o'clock.
- dance class
- She takes a dance class on Tuesdays.
- dance around the issue
- The minister danced around the issue instead of answering.
- folk dance
- The village keeps its folk dance alive every summer.
- dance to the music
- We danced to the music until midnight.
- dance partner
- He found a new dance partner for the contest.
Synonyms and how they differ
- boogie
- Boogie is an informal, fun word for dancing, especially to pop or rock music.
- sway
- Sway means to move gently from side to side, usually with less energy than dancing.
- prance
- Prance describes bouncy, showy movement, often with a hint of vanity or high spirits.
- ball
- Ball is a formal dance party, whereas dance can be any kind of party with dancing.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: dance or dense?
dance vs dense
Dense means thick or packed closely. It looks like part of dance but has no link.
Practice
The guests ____ in the garden until the band packed up at midnight.
Choose one answer.
The sentence needs a simple past verb to match packed up. Dancing and dance do not fit that tense, and dances is for a singular subject in the present.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dance”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.