square dance

¹

noun

1. a dance by a set of four couples arranged in a square or in some set form.
2. hoedown ( def 1 ).

square-dance

²

[ skwair-dans, -dahns ]

verb (used without object)

, square-danced, square-danc·ing.

1. to perform or participate in a square dance.
2. to participate in a hoedown.

square dance

noun

1. any of various formation dances, such as a quadrille, in which the couples form squares

verb

1. intr to perform such a dance

Derived Forms

• ˈsquare-ˌdancer, noun

Other Words From

• square dancer noun
• square dancing noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of square dance¹

First recorded in 1865–70

Origin of square dance²

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

He and a “very tall friend” went to a square dance, where they saw two girls walking toward them.

From Ozy

Nowhere else do 13-year-old boys agree to square dance with their mothers or take the time to realize the solitude in knitting.

From The Daily Beast

Rakkan forgot his Martian dignity and fiddled for a square dance, with Isaacson doing the calling.

From Project Gutenberg

On the floor of the barn a square dance was under way, the leader of the City Band calling the figures.

From Project Gutenberg

And when the first square dance is about to begin there is a good deal of active searching for partners.

From Project Gutenberg

The square dance, the reel, and the jig were the figures that gave most joy to their flying feet.

From Project Gutenberg

Just as we got started, the dance closed, and the caller shouted to choose partners for a square dance.

From Project Gutenberg