Phrase guide

war dance

noun · 2 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

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A ceremonial dance performed before a major battle or after a victory, usually by a tribe.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: anthropology, human-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a ceremonial dance performed before a battle or after a victory

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: ritual dancing, ritual dance, ceremonial dance

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

12 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 戰爭舞 /战争舞 (zhànzhēngwǔ) — ceremonial dance performed before a major battle or after a victory
  • Chinese Mandarin: 戰陣舞 /战阵舞 (zhànzhènwǔ) — ceremonial dance performed before a major battle or after a victory
  • Chinese Mandarin: 戰舞 /战舞 (zhànwǔ) — ceremonial dance performed before a major battle or after a victory
  • Czech: válečný tanec — ceremonial dance performed before a major battle or after a victory
  • Finnish: sotatanssi — ceremonial dance performed before a major battle or after a victory
  • French: danse de guerre — ceremonial dance performed before a major battle or after a victory
  • French: danse guerrière — ceremonial dance performed before a major battle or after a victory
  • Galician: danza de guerra — ceremonial dance performed before a major battle or after a victory
  • German: Kriegstanz — ceremonial dance performed before a major battle or after a victory
  • Ancient Greek: πυρρίχη (purrhíkhē) — ceremonial dance performed before a major battle or after a victory
  • Latin: tripudium — ceremonial dance performed before a major battle or after a victory
  • Polish: taniec wojenny — ceremonial dance performed before a major battle or after a victory