Ghost Dance

noun

: a group dance of a late 19th century American Indian messianic cult believed to promote the return of the dead and the restoration of traditional ways of life

Examples of Ghost Dance in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs considered the Ghost Dance a threat and dispatched the military to enforce a ban on the practice. Nicole Santa Cruz, ProPublica, 20 Oct. 2023 Trumpism is a Ghost Dance for white, male America, an act of faith that the invaders can be banished and the old order restored. Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 26 Aug. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Ghost Dance was in 1876

Dictionary Entries Near Ghost Dance

Cite this Entry

“Ghost Dance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Ghost%20Dance. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on Ghost Dance

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!