Phrase guide

dance with the one that brought you

proverb · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈdɑːns wɪð ðə wʌn ðət ˈbɹɔːt juː/
  • General-American: /ˈdæns wɪð ðə wʌn ðət ˈbɹɔt ju/
  • General-American, cot-caught-merger: /-ˈbɹɑt-/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

proverb

Meaning 1

Be considerate and loyal to the person who has been attentive, helpful, or supportive to you.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Canada, US, informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Referring to the polite practice of someone dancing with the person who brought them to a dance, instead of ignoring them and dancing with other people.

Across languages

Translations

4 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: vanhaa ystävää ei pidä unohtaa — be considerate and loyal to the person who has been attentive, helpful, or supportive to you
  • Polish: nie porzuca się starych przyjaciół dla nowych — be considerate and loyal to the person who has been attentive, helpful, or supportive to you
  • Vietnamese: ăn quả nhớ kẻ trồng cây — be considerate and loyal to the person who has been attentive, helpful, or supportive to you
  • Vietnamese: uống nước nhớ nguồn — be considerate and loyal to the person who has been attentive, helpful, or supportive to you