bartender
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bartender
Explanation
A bartender is a person who mixes, pours, and serves drinks from behind a bar. The bartender at a bar mitzvah may spend hours putting little paper umbrellas in Shirley Temples for the young guests. If you work as a bartender, you need to know how to mix cocktails, pour wine and beer, and keep the bar tidy. Most bartenders don't make a high hourly wage, but depend on tips to make a good living. Many events, like wedding receptions and big parties, include a bartender. The word itself dates from the early 19th century, from bar, which comes from the barrier or counter over which drinks are served, and tender, or "seller."
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.
See Examples For:
“I get chills,” said Pamela Huebner, a bartender in Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
“It has an identity issue,” said a Dave & Buster’s bartender I spoke to.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026
His most recent film role was 2022's Top Gun: Maverick, in which he played Jimmy, a bartender who works with the character played by Jennifer Connelly, Tom Cruise's love interest.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
"There's a buzz around the place, you can feel it," said John Crombie, a bartender at the Irish pub Jack Doyle's, which is hosting watch parties.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
“The bartender and I. We sort of hoisted you in. You scared the hell out of me, I’m not kidding.”
From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger
The crowds were a welcome boon for the bartenders, enlivening what is usually a lull at Joxer Daly’s, which is away from the beaches and beer gardens where customers gather in the summer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
DJs, bartenders, door people, lovers, ex-lovers, activists and friends formed networks that were not always formal but were often lifesaving.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
A group of men sits together on a sofa as bartenders place bottles of Chivas Regal in buckets of ice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
"The bartenders will graciously ask, 'was the service okay?' and they'll say 'yes, of course,'" she said.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
They walked in stiff-eyeing the bartenders and waiters who caught their message and acted as though they never had seen them before.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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.
