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disco

1 American  
[dis-koh] / ˈdɪs koʊ /

noun

plural

discos

  1. discotheque.

  2. a style of popular music for dancing, usually recorded and with complex electronic instrumentation, in which simple, repetitive lyrics are subordinated to a heavy, pulsating, rhythmic beat.

  3. any of various forms of dance, often improvisational, performed to such music.

adjective

  1. of or relating to a disco or disco music.

  2. intended for a disco or its patrons.

verb (used without object)

discoed, discoing

  1. to dance disco, especially at a discotheque.

disco- 2 American  

  1. a combining form representing disk or disc in compound words.

    discifloral.

  2. a combining form meaning “phonograph record”, used in the formation of compound words.

    discography.
disco British  
/ ˈdɪskəʊ /

noun

    1. an occasion at which typically young people dance to amplified pop records, usually compered by a disc jockey and featuring special lighting effects

    2. ( as modifier )

      disco dancing

  2. a nightclub or other public place where such dances take place

  3. mobile equipment, usually accompanied by a disc jockey who operates it, for providing music for a disco

    1. a type of dance music designed to be played in discos, with a solid thump on each beat

    2. ( as modifier )

      a disco record
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of disco

An Americanism dating back to 1960–65; by shortening

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

What makes the album a timeless classic are its catchy melodies; shrewd arrangements that caught the culture’s disco obsession; and Mr. Scaggs’s earthy, confessional lyrics and intimate voice.

From The Wall Street Journal

But did you know that she was also something of a disco queen?

From Los Angeles Times

Two days later, she skated a magnificent free programme to the disco sounds of Donna Summer and lit up the Milano Ice Skating Arena.

From Barron's

It cost her dearly as she finished just 1.89 points behind Liu, who surged to gold with her Donna Summer's disco version of "MacArthur Park".

From Barron's

The crowd at Milano Ice Skating Arena followed every beat, edge and jump of the joyful disco program.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.