ballerina

noun

bal·​le·​ri·​na ˌba-lə-ˈrē-nə 

: a woman who is a ballet dancer : danseuse

Examples of ballerina in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

During a recent interview with the French magazine Paris Match, the 37-year-old former ballerina shared the news of her engagement to the 81-year-old rocker. —Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 13 Apr. 2025

Instead of opting for a pair of white sneakers, Miller went for a more elegant ballerina flat, which Katie Holmes recently broke out. —Nicol Natale, People.com, 4 Apr. 2025

President Trump on Monday met in the Oval Office with an American ballerina who was released from a Russian prison earlier this year as part of an exchange. —Brett Samuels, The Hill, 5 May 2025

The set also included a classical interlude where two ballerinas took the stage as a solo violinist played a classic song. —Yolanda MacHado, EW.com, 1 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Italian, "woman who dances professionally or for pleasure," feminine counterpart of ballarino, ballerino "professional dancer, person who loves to dance," from ballare "to dance" (going back to Late Latin ballāre) + -ar-, -er-, extension in nominal derivation + -ino, suffix of occupations (as in postino "mailman," scalpellino "stonemason"), going back to Latin -īnus -ine entry 1 — more at ball entry 3

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing ballerina

• prima ballerina

Rhymes for ballerina

• acarina
• casuarina
• celestina
• concertina
• filipina
• foramina
• leucaena
• littorina
• scarlatina
• semolina
• serotina
• signorina

Kids Definition

ballerina

noun

bal·​le·​ri·​na ˌbal-ə-ˈrē-nə 

: a female ballet dancer