ghost dance: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
LowAcademic/Historical/Specialist
Quick answer
What does “ghost dance” mean?
A Native American religious movement and ceremony from the late 19th century, believed to restore the traditional way of life and bring back ancestors.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A Native American religious movement and ceremony from the late 19th century, believed to restore the traditional way of life and bring back ancestors.
Any spiritual dance ritual aimed at connecting with ancestors or spirits; metaphorically, a futile attempt to revive something that is gone.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Both varieties use the term with the same primary historical reference. In American English, it has greater cultural and historical resonance due to its origin in North America.
Connotations
In both: historical, cultural, spiritual. In American contexts, may carry stronger connotations of colonial history and cultural loss.
Frequency
Rare in everyday conversation in both varieties. More likely encountered in historical, anthropological, or cultural studies contexts, slightly more so in American English.
Grammar
How to Use “ghost dance” in a Sentence
The N (movement/ritual) + VERB (spread/ended/occurred)They + VERB (performed/participated in) + the ghost danceVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “ghost dance” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- They would ghost-dance to honour their ancestors.
- The tribe was known to ghost-dance at the solstice.
American English
- The community gathered to ghost-dance in the hopes of renewal.
- They ghost-danced throughout the night.
adverb
British English
- They moved ghost-dance slowly around the fire.
- (Rare usage)
American English
- They chanted ghost-dance solemnly during the ceremony.
- (Rare usage)
adjective
British English
- The ghost-dance tradition was central to their culture.
- She studied ghost-dance rituals for her thesis.
American English
- Ghost-dance shirts were believed to be bulletproof.
- The ghost-dance movement spread rapidly.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not used.
Academic
Used in anthropology, history, and religious studies to describe the late 19th-century Native American movement.
Everyday
Rarely used; if used, it's typically in a metaphorical sense.
Technical
Specific term in ethnohistory and Native American studies.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “ghost dance”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “ghost dance”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “ghost dance”
- Using it as a general term for any scary dance.
- Capitalizing incorrectly: It is typically capitalized when referring to the specific historical movement ('Ghost Dance'), but not always in metaphorical use.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It was a late 19th-century religious movement among Native Americans, centred on a ritual dance believed to reunite the living with the spirits of the dead and restore prosperity.
It is typically written as two separate words, though it is a compound noun. When referring specifically to the historical movement, it is often capitalized: the Ghost Dance.
Yes, though this usage is less common and often hyphenated (to ghost-dance), meaning to perform this specific ritual or, metaphorically, to engage in a futile attempt to revive the past.
No, it is the standard academic and historical term for the phenomenon. However, as with all terms relating to Indigenous cultures, it should be used with respect and contextual accuracy.
A Native American religious movement and ceremony from the late 19th century, believed to restore the traditional way of life and bring back ancestors.
Ghost dance is usually academic/historical/specialist in register.
Ghost dance: in British English it is pronounced /ˈɡəʊst ˌdɑːns/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈɡoʊst ˌdæns/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “It's like a ghost dance - trying to bring back what's long gone.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'ghost' (spirits of the past) and 'dance' (a ritual) combining to mean a dance to connect with ancestral spirits.
Conceptual Metaphor
A REVIVAL IS A DANCE WITH GHOSTS; FUTILITY IS A DANCE WITH SPIRITS.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'ghost dance' most accurately used?