dancer
1 Americannoun
Other Word Forms
- nondancer noun
Etymology
Origin of dancer
Explanation
A dancer is someone who dances for fun, as a hobby, or for a job. The dancers at a rock concert often look like they're enjoying the music most of all. You can be a dancer at your cousin's wedding reception, or a dancer in a professional ballet corps. Though the second example requires a much more serious commitment than the first, they both require you to move your body rhythmically, usually accompanied by music. In Old French, dancer means "to dance," and its origin is somewhat uncertain. One theory connects the word to the Old Frisian dintje, which means "tremble or quiver."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That studio was later used by dancer and choreographer Valerie Bettis, who crafted routines for some of Hollywood and Broadway’s biggest heavyweights, including famed screen siren Rita Hayworth.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026
Other acts include Major Lazer, indie-pop band Foster the People and British singer, dancer, and visual artist FKA twigs.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
Ballerina Farm, where former ballet dancer Hannah Neeleman makes a spectacle of her wifely submission, has over 10 million Instagram followers, despite a recent scandal over her company’s raw milk sales.
From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026
The newspaper said the woman was not a contestant or professional dancer on the show, but had met the man due to his participation in the competition.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
His father had been a vaudeville dancer and singer and had achieved quite a bit of success in the black entertainment outlets.
From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
