Join Us On

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Spanish Central

Browse Dictionary Browse Thesaurus

Get our free apps!iPhone•iPad•Android

Word of the Day

Blog: Words at Play

Dictionary

war dance

noun

: a dance performed in the past by Native Americans before a battle or to celebrate victory in battle

Full Definition of WAR DANCE

: a dance performed (as by American Indians) in preparation for battle or in celebration of victory

See war dance defined for English-language learners

ADVERTISEMENT

First Known Use of WAR DANCE

1711

Rhymes with WAR DANCE

advance, barn dance, by chance, clog dance, closed stance, finance, freelance, lap dance, line dance, main chance, New France, romance, round dance, snake dance, square dance, step dance, sun dance, sword dance, tap dance, tea dance, toe dance

Learn More About WAR DANCE

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about "war dance"

Browse

Next Word in the Dictionary: ward bedPrevious Word in the Dictionary: wardableAll Words Near: war dance

ADVERTISEMENT

Seen & Heard

What made you want to look up war dance? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

View Seen & Heard Highlights from Around the Site

Test Your Vocabulary!

10 Charming Words for Nasty People

Put-downs with flair

When "Literally" isn't, well, literal

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

Know what this is?

Test your vocab with our fun, fast game

Ailurophobia, and 9 other unusual fears

Join Us

Merriam-Webster
on Facebook

Merriam-Webster
on Twitter

Bookstore: Digital and Print

Merriam-Webster references for Mobile, Kindle, print, and more.

See All

Other Merriam-Webster Dictionaries

© Merriam-Webster, Incorporated