tap dance

noun

1

: a step dance tapped out audibly by means of shoes with hard soles or soles and heels to which taps have been added

2

: something suggesting a tap dance

especially : an action or discourse intended to rationalize or distract

does a clever tap dance to explain

—Campbell Geeslin

tap-dance

ˈtap-ˌdan(t)s 

intransitive verb

tap dancer noun

tap dancing noun

Examples of tap dance in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In fact, the entire thing was staged like a theatre show with red velvet curtains and tap dance breaks from her dancers. —Courtesy Of Esther Newman., refinery29.com, 14 Aug. 2024

His tap dance feature Buffalo Flats is set up at MGM Films with Emma Westenberg attached to direct, and he’s partnered with Geoff Johns and others on the new comic book imprint Ghost Machine. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 12 Aug. 2024

Synergy Space is home to Ballet Embody, a dance company also co-founded by Runkle, and hosts jazz, modern and tap dance classes. —Lizzy Alspach, Baltimore Sun, 10 Aug. 2024

The 21-year-old from Chula Vista who came one round short of advancing to the knockout stages grew up in jazz and tap dance, but the disciplines got expensive. —Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1928, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

tap dance

noun

: a dance tapped out loudly by means of shoes to which taps have been added

tap-dance verb

tap dancer noun

tap dancing noun