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.
How could one captain not be in charge because of a nightclub incident, with the replacement less than a year on from a nightclub incident of his own?
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
“It feels like a nightclub in here where everyone is battling for the biggest bottle,” said art-market economist Magnus Resch, as he mingled with collector Eugenio Lopez and art adviser Evan Beard.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 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
Two months ago, two people died of MenB in Kent, linked to a nightclub in Canterbury, and in April, three young people contracted meningitis in Dorset.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
“Did you think you were going out to a nightclub? Were you dressing up for a nightclub? He was dressing up for a club!” he told the other officer, who laughed some more.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
