round dance

noun

1
: a folk dance in which participants form a ring and move in a prescribed direction
2
: a ballroom dance in which couples progress around the room
3
: a series of movements performed by a bee to indicate that a source of food is nearby

Examples of round dance in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Lane Neaman played a drum and sang southern Oklahoma-style round dance songs. — Rick Egan, The Salt Lake Tribune, 25 Nov. 2021 Interspersed with the regular dances on the program were round dance exhibitions by three groups. — Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 June 2021 At the piece’s center is the composer’s dreamlike vision of his New Yorker neighbors joining in a round dance from his native Syria. — BostonGlobe.com, 9 Oct. 2021 Opening Ceremonies Parade led by Kalamazoo Pipe Band begins, then Southern Straight, a group of more than 20 Potawatomi, Ojibwe, Odawa and Chippewa drummers and singers, leads a community round dance. — Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 12 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of round dance was in 1530

Rhymes for round dance

See All Rhymes for round dance

Browse Nearby Words

round clam
round dance
round-dealing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Round dance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/round%20dance. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

round dance

noun
1
: a folk dance in which participants form a ring and move in a certain direction
2
: a series of movements performed by a bee to indicate that a source of food is nearby
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All