dance hall

noun

1

: a large room set aside or suitable for dances

especially : a public hall offering facilities for dancing

2

dancehall

ˈdan(t)s-ˌhȯl 

ˈdän(t)s-

: a genre of Jamaican music derived from reggae in which an artist improvises vocals over a recorded or live beat

… anyone who knew her or worked with her knows that she loves dancehall and has much respect and passion for the genre.

—Stephanie K

—often used before another noun

dancehall music

A key form of symbolic capital obtainable in Jamaica is knowledge and possession of many Jamaican dancehall records.

—Marvin Sterling

Examples of dance hall in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The voluminous zoot suit was an innovation of Harlem dance halls, its generous cut seen as transgressive at a time when fabric was being rationed in the run-up to World War II, Professor Miller said. —Vincent Tullo, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025

Quinn accepts a prestigious piano position in New York, aiming to pay off her debt and eventually return home while entrusting her dance hall to Ellie. —Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025

Nearing the end, new works are placed that engage the spectator in a video at the artist’s studio, transformed into a dance hall where musicians and dancers are regularly invited to perform. —Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025

In the 1990s, reports of conflicts and violence in or around dance halls led to youth curfews. —Donna M. Owens, NBC News, 19 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for dance hall

• aerosol
• alcohol
• arbitral
• basketball
• butanol
• cannonball
• carbinol
• catarrhal
• cortisol
• ethanol
• fireball
• gasohol