dinner dance

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A formal social event where guests eat a meal and then dance, often to live music.

   Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a dinner dance' or 'two dinner dances'.

   Patterns

   • at a dinner dance
   • go to a dinner dance
   • hold a dinner dance

   The hotel hosts a dinner dance every New Year's Eve.

   We bought new outfits for the charity dinner dance.

   The dinner dance began with a three-course meal and ended with a live band.

2. 2nounsingular

   The dancing part of such an event, as opposed to the meal.

   Grammar: Often used with 'the': 'the dinner dance was the highlight'.

   Patterns

   • the dinner dance
   • after the dinner dance

   The dinner dance lasted until midnight.

   Everyone stayed for the dinner dance after the speeches.

Word forms

Common combinations

annual dinner dance

The club's annual dinner dance raises money for local schools.

charity dinner dance

She organized a charity dinner dance to support the hospital.

attend a dinner dance

About two hundred people attended the dinner dance.

dinner dance and auction

The evening included a dinner dance and auction.

Synonyms and how they differ

ball

A ball is usually larger and more formal than a dinner dance, with a strict dress code.

gala

A gala often includes performances or fundraising and may not have dancing as the main activity.

dance

A dance is a more general word and may not include a formal meal.

Word family

dinner noun

The main meal of the day, eaten in the evening or at midday.

dance noun

A social event where people move to music.

dancer noun

A person who dances, often professionally.

Commonly confused: dinner dance or dinner theater?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “dinner dance”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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