disco

¹ American  

[dis-koh] / ˈdɪs koʊ /

noun

plural

discos

1. discotheque.

2. a style of popular music for dancing, usually recorded and with complex electronic instrumentation, in which simple, repetitive lyrics are subordinated to a heavy, pulsating, rhythmic beat.

3. any of various forms of dance, often improvisational, performed to such music.

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adjective

1. of or relating to a disco or disco music.

2. intended for a disco or its patrons.

verb (used without object)

discoed, discoing

1. to dance disco, especially at a discotheque.

disco- ² American  

1. a combining form representing disk or disc in compound words.

   discifloral.

2. a combining form meaning “phonograph record”, used in the formation of compound words.

   discography.

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disco British  

/ ˈdɪskəʊ /

noun

1. 1. an occasion at which typically young people dance to amplified pop records, usually compered by a disc jockey and featuring special lighting effects

   2. ( as modifier )

      disco dancing

2. a nightclub or other public place where such dances take place

3. mobile equipment, usually accompanied by a disc jockey who operates it, for providing music for a disco

4. 1. a type of dance music designed to be played in discos, with a solid thump on each beat

   2. ( as modifier )

      a disco record

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Etymology

Origin of disco

An Americanism dating back to 1960–65; by shortening

Example Sentences

In 2020, rangers said revellers had left rubbish, fires and human waste after holding a "disco party" in Glen Doll in Angus.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

The big difference was they didn’t have the taint of disco.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

On “Situation,” the hissing hi-hat hinted at on earlier tracks becomes explicit and the rhythm is officially disco, though with a twangy urban cowboy version of the beat.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Kevin O’Gorman, the master distiller behind it, explains that it’s a bottle that benefits from a 50-year maturation process — yes, this whiskey started life in the disco decade.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 10, 2026

Autumn’s fashion sense tends to manifest in time-period themes, like seventies disco or nineties hip-hop.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Related Words

• dance hall
• nightclub
• nightspot