1
as in stepping
to perform a series of usually rhythmic bodily movements to music
she can't resist dancing to her favorite rock bands
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in darting
to make an irregular series of quick, sudden movements
the lithe boxer danced around the ring, staying just out of the reach of his opponent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dancing
New Year’s Eve brought music and dancing to the central square.
—
Lizzie Johnson, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
The Moon is in your sign dancing beautifully with Mercury, Mars and Saturn, encouraging you to make sensible, practical plans for the future, especially related to travel, publishing, medicine and the law.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
The scene where Niall watches Ruben dancing in their bedroom, was that choreographed?
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 24 Apr. 2026
Fitzpatrick hails from Ireland’s County Meath and began dancing at the age of 8.
—Tribune News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
But the star of the show is the Maanya, the speciality restaurant, where guests dine to the strains of the sitar, with light dancing off the thikri work on the walls.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Goalie change Despite Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff dancing around the subject, Alex Lyon was in the starter’s net at the Sabres’ morning skate and the 33-year-old Yale man was replaced Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who had a disastrous Game 2.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
The video, directed by Gus Black and co-starring Madeline Argy and Gavin Casalegno, sees Sombr performing the track while during by dancing ballerinas.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2026
Regarding his mother, Peltz Beckham accused Victoria of abruptly pulling out of making wife Nicola's wedding dress, as well as dancing inappropriately at the wedding ceremony.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
Lizzie Johnson, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
The Moon is in your sign dancing beautifully with Mercury, Mars and Saturn, encouraging you to make sensible, practical plans for the future, especially related to travel, publishing, medicine and the law.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
The scene where Niall watches Ruben dancing in their bedroom, was that choreographed?
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 24 Apr. 2026
Fitzpatrick hails from Ireland’s County Meath and began dancing at the age of 8.
—Tribune News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
But the star of the show is the Maanya, the speciality restaurant, where guests dine to the strains of the sitar, with light dancing off the thikri work on the walls.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Goalie change Despite Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff dancing around the subject, Alex Lyon was in the starter’s net at the Sabres’ morning skate and the 33-year-old Yale man was replaced Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who had a disastrous Game 2.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
The video, directed by Gus Black and co-starring Madeline Argy and Gavin Casalegno, sees Sombr performing the track while during by dancing ballerinas.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2026
Regarding his mother, Peltz Beckham accused Victoria of abruptly pulling out of making wife Nicola's wedding dress, as well as dancing inappropriately at the wedding ceremony.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dancing
Verb
-
The heist sees the pair execute the crime without the actual gang ever stepping foot inside the bank.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
-
After requiring a medical timeout, Swiatek, 24, briefly returned to the court before stepping away again in tears.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
From corners, Bromley pack the six-yard box, with multiple players darting towards its centre.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The hungry sharks surrounded Barley in the clips, leaping out of the water and quickly darting around his Sea-Doo.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The report said the ultra wealthy are more mobile than ever, buying homes around the world and flitting from city to city more frequently.—
Robert Frank,
CNBC,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Although the Marshallese players were mostly stone-faced, their eyes—briefly flitting over to the crowd and the many cameras that followed them onto the field—belied both their excitement and anxiety at the gravity of the moment.—
Cheri Lucas Rowlands,
Longreads,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Wasn’t there anyone in a position to at least stop him from strutting into a high-profile race for governor?—
Michelle Cottle,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Hadid last sported a mushroom brown hair color with lighter blonde ends in February while strutting the runway at the Ralph Lauren fashion show during New York Fashion Week.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Kick your legs in small up-and-down fluttering motions while keeping your lower back flat and abs tight throughout.—
Jakob Roze,
Health,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Video from the scene hours after the fire first erupted showed ash fluttering through the air and burned paper in the yards of homes across the street from the warehouse.—
Joy Benedict,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
There was major line shuffling overall by Cooper on this night, not just Kucherov, but tweaks to three lines, which ended up looking a little different than what was shown in pregame warmup.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
YoshimiO, sharing fellow ’90s icon Flea’s recent interest in the instrument, turns in a credible trumpet line during the track’s shuffling, exuberant second half.—
Reed Jackson,
SPIN,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This could be the bookworm equivalent of jet setting, perhaps—seeking out the places we’re taken to while flicking the pages.—
Connor Sturges,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Edmundson, who’d lost MacKinnon on his first goal, atoned by receiving Kempe’s pass in the high slot and flicking a shot that clipped Wedgewood on its way into the net.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The drone can be seen intercepting a low-flying Ka-52, maneuvering towards its port weapon pylon before the footage dramatically cuts.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Apr. 2026
-
According to Delta's policies, there are no restrictions for flying while pregnant on the airline.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dancing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dancing. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
