nightclub
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of nightclub
Explanation
A nightclub is a bar or a disco where people can dance or be entertained late into the night. There are many nightclubs in New York City, but there are no nightclubs at all in most tiny Vermont villages. Visitors to a nightclub can eat and drink; watch singers, dancers, or comedians perform; and usually also dance to live music or songs played by a DJ. You can also call a nightclub a "club" for short — the dance floor is what distinguishes it from a bar or a pub. The word nightclub sounds modern, but it dates from the late nineteenth century.
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.
The incident outside a Bristol nightclub in 2017 almost cost him his England career.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
If the investigation reveals that Stokes has been involved in a serious incident in a London nightclub, it could spell the end of his captaincy.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
That attitude, he says, is most notable in his scenes with Li Jun Li, whose femme fatale character Felicia “Cat” Hardy, a nightclub singer, knows more than she wants to reveal.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
The church began renting space in a former nightclub, with seating for hundreds of worshipers as it convened multiple services a weekend.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
“You’ve never been to a nightclub, have you?”
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
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.
