cancan

noun

can·​can ˈkan-ˌkan How to pronounce cancan (audio)
: a woman's dance of French origin characterized by high kicking usually while holding up the front of a full ruffled skirt

Examples of cancan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
What at first seemed like a very rickety version of the cancan suddenly gained new context as the show continued into a grand citywide interpretive dance celebrating the re-construction of the Notre-Dame cathedral. Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2024 The Florence and the Machine aesthetic draws from Pre-Raphaelite tawny goddesses; photos by the 19th-century artist Julia Margaret Cameron; Surrealist 20th-century paintings by Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo; the modern dancer Loie Fuller; exhausted cancan dancers; pastel moths. Lauren Groff, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2024 The joy of those cancan dancers in pink, or Lady Gaga shimmying in ostrich feathers and a Dior feather hat, was a valiant tribute to French tradition. Rachel Tashjian, Washington Post, 26 July 2024 And yes, fashion is a national treasure in France, so the Opening Ceremonies’ whimsical displays of the Moulin Rouge women in pink dancing the cancan, or the exuberant (if aesthetically tacky) runway show were, yes, charming. Rachel Tashjian, Washington Post, 26 July 2024 Enjoy drag shows, belly dancing, a cancan troupe, vendors, a bar crawl, silent disco and more. Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 10 June 2024 Perhaps see if zombies are able to do the cancan at the Moulin Rouge? Dalton Ross, EW.com, 17 July 2023 While the cancan never gets old, something just as French and risqué that’s lesser known is Madame Arthur, a drag cabaret and club in Pigalle where Serge Gainsbourg first played. Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 7 July 2023 But, inside, my heart was doing the cancan. Jen Spyra, The New Yorker, 24 Dec. 2021

Word History

Etymology

French

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cancan was in 1830

Dictionary Entries Near cancan

Cite this Entry

“Cancan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cancan. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.

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