dance to someone's tune

verb

To do what someone demands or expects, do as told, defer to someone's wishes or demands, do someone's bidding.

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Meanings

verbdance to someone's tune (third-person singular simple present dances to someone's tune, present participle dancing to someone's tune, simple past and past participle danced to someone's tune)

present singular third person dances to someone's tune · participle present dancing to someone's tune · participle past danced to someone's tune · past danced to someone's tune

  1. To do what someone demands or expects, do as told, defer to someone's wishes or demands, do someone's bidding.

    We are on earth to dance to our own tune! We have to know who I the individual is.

    2014, Bernadette Reynolds, Dance to Your Own Tune, →ISBN, page 1
    3 more examples

    You simply become a puppet in the hands of others who will make you dance to their tune. In other words, you reduce yourself to a slave or beggar by mortgaging your happiness on the mercy of others.

    1995, M.K. Gupta, How To Remain Ever Happy, →ISBN

    Satan doesn't care whether they carry the bible; he doesn't care whether they say Jesus is Lord. That's not his problem; he has successfully used them to create a counterfeit church to confuse the populace. He knows they are already his and they dance to his tune ... their destiny is sealed.

    2011, God'spower E O Udjor, The Dance of Herodias Daughter: Revealing Satan’s Last Deception in the Church, →ISBN, page 51

    If the other traders followed our example, relations between Britain and China would improve dramatically. Think about it the next time you go off in a huff because the Chinese won't dance to your tune.'

    2012, E.V. Thompson, Dream Traders, →ISBN

Translations

Danish danse efter nogens pibe
  • danse efter nogens pibeto do what someone expects
Dutch naar iemands pijpen dansen
  • naar iemands pijpen dansento do what someone expects
Finnish tanssia jonkun pillin mukaan
  • tanssia jonkun pillin mukaanto do what someone expects
German nach jemandes Pfeife tanzen
  • nach jemandes Pfeife tanzento do what someone expects
Italian ballare al ritmo dettato da qualcuno, farsi comandare a bacchetta da qualcuno
  • ballare al ritmo dettato da qualcunoto do what someone expects
  • farsi comandare a bacchetta da qualcunoto do what someone expects
Japanese 誰かの言いなりになる, ほいほい従う
  • 誰かの言いなりになる (dareka no iinari ni naru)to do what someone expects
  • ほいほい従う (hoihoi shitagau)to do what someone expects
Norwegian Bokmål danse etter noens pipe
  • danse etter noens pipeto do what someone expects
Persian به ساز کسی رقصیدن
  • به ساز کسی رقصیدن (be sâze kasi raqsidan)to do what someone expects
Swedish dansa efter någons pipa
  • dansa efter någons pipato do what someone expects
Cite this entry
APA

dance to someone's tune. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dance%20to%20someone's%20tune

MLA

“dance to someone's tune.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dance%20to%20someone's%20tune. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dance to someone's tune,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dance%20to%20someone's%20tune.

Source: dance to someone's tune on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.