dad dancing

dad danc·ing

noun

The making of embarrassing flamboyant dance moves to pop music by middle-aged men.

Meanings

noundad dancing (uncountable)

alternative dad-dancing

  1. uncountableThe making of embarrassing flamboyant dance moves to pop music by middle-aged men.

    The first National Dad Dancing Championships were held in Northampton's Grosvenor Centre on Saturday, 19 June, 2004.

    2004 June, “Dad dancing”, in BBC Northamptonshire
    2 more examples

    I gather that he was a bit of a “dad dancer” – embarrassing on his feet, seeming old before his time. […] The moral of the story is to be aware of dad-dancing, or the display of any other behavioural oddities, when you first meet.

    2009 April 16, “How bad dancing can ruin your love life”, in The Times, London

    Middle-aged men who embarrass their children with flamboyant dance moves now have the perfect excuse – evolution. The cringeworthy "dad dancing" witnessed at wedding receptions every weekend may be an unconscious way in which ageing males repel the attention of young women, leaving the field clear for men at their sexual peak.

    2009 December 15, Matthew Moore, “‘Dad dancing’ may be the result of evolution, scientists claim”, in The Daily Telegraph, London
Cite this entry
APA

dad dancing. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dad%20dancing

MLA

“dad dancing.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dad%20dancing. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dad dancing,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dad%20dancing.

Source: dad dancing on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.