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
Ruth ReichlRather, it is people and the daily ballet of urban life that make a city.—Steven Earnest et al.
Steven Earnest et al.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
This holiday season, Abrams hopes the community takes a moment to embrace the joy and magic in the iconic ballet.
—Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 21 Oct. 2025
Dream Pairs Foldable Ballet Flats Finding shoes that are stylish, comfortable, and packable isn’t always the easiest task, but these foldable ballet flats manage to check all the boxes.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 20 Oct. 2025
Because of his wide range of interests, including philanthropy, music, ballet, theater, cooking, reading, gardening and travel, Steinberg was frequently referred to as a renaissance man.
—David Moin, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2025
My kindergarten classmates tended to gravitate towards calligraphy, swimming, ballet and English conversation classes, but I would rather be caught dead than do anything that involved ‘learning together’.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ballet
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Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 21 Oct. 2025
Dream Pairs Foldable Ballet Flats Finding shoes that are stylish, comfortable, and packable isn’t always the easiest task, but these foldable ballet flats manage to check all the boxes.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 20 Oct. 2025
Because of his wide range of interests, including philanthropy, music, ballet, theater, cooking, reading, gardening and travel, Steinberg was frequently referred to as a renaissance man.
—David Moin, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2025
My kindergarten classmates tended to gravitate towards calligraphy, swimming, ballet and English conversation classes, but I would rather be caught dead than do anything that involved ‘learning together’.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ballet
Cite this Entry
“Ballet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ballet. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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