charleston

IPA/ˈtʃɑːl.stən/
KK[tʃˈɑrlstən]IPA/ˈtʃɑːrl.stən/

charleston — noun

  • charlestonsingular
  • charlestonsplural

1. a lively social dance from the 1920s in which dancers move with quick twisting s

1.nounB2
Definition

a lively social dance from the 1920s in which dancers move with quick twisting steps and energetic arm and leg movements.

Example

At the school show, Priya danced the Charleston in a shiny flapper dress.

pattern: do/dance the + dance name

The whole crowd jumped up and did the Charleston when the jazz band played.

Common collocations
  • do the Charleston
  • dance the Charleston
  • Charleston steps
  • Charleston craze
  • perform the Charleston
Synonyms
  • shimmy

    another 1920s dance, but with more shoulder shaking and less leg kicking

  • Lindy Hop

    a later swing dance from the 1930s involving partnered lifts and spins, not the solo kicking of the Charleston

Grammar Patterns

do the Charleston

dance the Charleston

Usage Note

Usually written with a capital letter when referring to the dance. Commonly paired with 'do' or 'dance' — 'do the Charleston' is the most frequent pattern in everyday speech.

Common Mistakes

She danced charleston at the party
She danced the Charleston at the party.
The dance name needs the article 'the' and is normally capitalized.

charleston — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

The Charleston is a specific 1920s dance known for its fast kicking steps and energetic arm swinging. The shimmy, from the same era, relies more on shaking the shoulders and torso rather than leg movements. The Lindy Hop emerged in the 1930s as a partnered swing dance with lifts and spins, quite different from the solo or loosely partnered Charleston. The foxtrot, also popular in the 1920s, uses smooth gliding steps and a slower tempo. If you see dancers kicking their heels outward to fast jazz, they are doing the Charleston; if they glide smoothly across the floor, it is the foxtrot.

shimmyLindy Hop ↗foxtrot

Common collocations

Adverbs

Phrases

  • show someone how to
  • break into a
  • a lively

Etymology

English

The dance takes its name from Charleston, South Carolina, USA. It became an international craze after appearing in the 1923 Broadway musical Runnin' Wild, with music by James P. Johnson. The dance is strongly linked to the Jazz Age and the flapper youth culture of the 1920s.

First known use

1922

1922, in the meaning defined above