dance-off

noun

ˈdan(t)s-ˌȯf 

ˈdän(t)s-

plural dance-offs

: a dancing competition

The finals were a dance-off—one by one, each girl danced her routine alone, on stage, in front of an auditorium full of hundreds of strangers.

—Mark Coddington

One night they happened to catch a fox trot performed on Dancing With the Stars, the ABC battle-of-the-ballroom hit that paired … celebrities with professional dancers in a six-week dance-off.

—Michelle Andrews

Examples of dance-off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The parking lot transforms into an après tailgate scene that rivals any stadium, complete with grills, lawn chairs, and the occasional dance-off in ski boots. —Roger Sands, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025

Throw on some upbeat tunes (think Lizzo or Bruno Mars), and suddenly, dusting the shelves feels like a dance-off. —Matt Rozo, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2025

Ride down to the all-ages spring dance-off, Woolly’s Dance Party held weekly at the base lodge. —Anna Fiorentino, AFAR Media, 28 Feb. 2025

Before his impromptu dance-off, Sirianni was in the team’s private locker room after his team dominated the field. —Sam Gillette, People.com, 11 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

dance entry 1 + -off

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dance-off

• cerenkov
• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff