Meaning & use
square dance
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A folk dance in which four couples stand in a square and move through patterns as a caller instructs them.
Grammar: Countable: a square dance, two square dances.
Patterns
- go to a square dance
- a square dance caller
The town holds a square dance in the barn every Saturday.
We learned a square dance in gym class.
Their square dance ended with a bow to every partner.
verbintransitive
To take part in this dance.
Grammar: No object: they square dance on weekends.
Patterns
- square dance with someone
They square dance at the community hall.
My grandparents used to square dance every Friday.
Do you know how to square dance?
Word forms
| plural | square dances |
|---|---|
| third person singular | square dances |
| past tense | square danced |
| -ing form | square dancing |
Common combinations
- square dance caller
- The square dance caller shouted out each move.
- go to a square dance
- We went to a square dance at the fair.
- learn to square dance
- She learned to square dance at school.
- square dance club
- He joined a square dance club in town.
Synonyms and how they differ
- barn dance
- Barn dance is the British term for a similar country gathering, with simple steps and a caller.
- folk dance
- Folk dance is a general category, while square dance is a particular American type.
- hoedown
- Hoedown is informal and refers to the party as much as the dance.
Word family
Commonly confused: square dance or line dance?
square dance vs line dance
Line dance has people standing in rows without partners, while square dance uses sets of couples.
Practice
In a square dance, who tells the dancers what to do?
Choose one answer.
A caller shouts the figures in a square dance. The other roles belong to different activities.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “square dance”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.