ballet

noun

bal·​let ba-ˈlā 

ˈba-ˌlā

1

a

: a theatrical art form using dancing, music, and scenery to convey a story, theme, or atmosphere

b

: dancing in which conventional poses and steps are combined with light flowing figures (such as leaps and turns)

2

: music for a ballet

3

: a group that performs ballets

4

: something likened to a ballet especially in complexity and precision of movement

Where else can you peek into the kitchen and see a quiet ballet of cooks, their entire attention focused on feeding a mere 65 people?

—Ruth Reichl

Rather, it is people and the daily ballet of urban life that make a city.

—Steven Earnest et al.

balletic

ba-ˈle-tik 

adjective

Examples of ballet in a Sentence

She does tap dancing and ballet.

We are going to a ballet tonight.

This is one of my favorite ballets.

Recent Examples on the Web

Thus, Eve leaves the joint, and with her the mildly intriguing prospect of her working both as an ender of lives and a dancer in a high-level ballet company. —Mark Meszoros, Boston Herald, 6 June 2025

Fueled by pain, Eve decides to join the Director’s crime syndicate, Ruska Roma, that doubles as a New York City ballet company. —Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 6 June 2025

Hailing from Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel creator Sherman-Palladino, Étoile starred Luke Kirby (who played Lenny Bruce on Mrs. Maisel) as Jack McMillan, the artistic director of a prestigious New York ballet company. —Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 6 June 2025

The series also created its own ballet company comprised by top dancers from around the world and features elaborate dance sequences. —Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 6 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, "theatrical presentation telling a story by means of dance and mime," borrowed from Italian balletto (also "short, well-done dance, semblance of a dance done for amusement"), from ballo "dance" (noun derivative of ballare "to dance," going back to Late Latin ballāre) + -etto, diminutive suffix — more at ball entry 3

First Known Use

1608, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing ballet

• corps de ballet
• water ballet

Rhymes for ballet

• airway
• allay
• archway
• array
• ashtray
• astray
• aue
• away
• belay
• beltway
• beret
• betray

Kids Definition

ballet

noun

bal·​let ˈbal-ā 

ba-ˈlā

1

a

: an art form that uses dancing to tell a story or express a theme

b

: dancing in which poses and steps are combined with leaps and turns

2

: a group that performs ballets

Etymology

from French ballet "ballet," derived from Italian ballare "to dance," from Latin ballare "to dance" — related to ball entry 3