club
Americannoun
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clubs
plural
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a heavy stick, usually thicker at one end than at the other, suitable for use as a weapon; a cudgel.
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a group of persons organized for a social, literary, athletic, political, or other purpose.
They organized a computer club.
- Synonyms:
- society, association
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the building or rooms occupied by such a group.
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an organization that offers its subscribers certain benefits, as discounts, bonuses, or interest, in return for regular purchases or payments.
a book club; a record club; a Christmas club.
- Synonyms:
- society, association
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Sports.
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a stick or bat used to drive a ball in various games, as golf.
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a nightclub, especially one in which people dance to popular music, drink, and socialize.
Last night we went to all the clubs in town.
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a black trefoil-shaped figure on a playing card.
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a card bearing such figures.
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(used with a singular or plural verb) clubs, the suit so marked.
Clubs is trump. Clubs are trump.
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Nautical.
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a short spar attached to the end of a gaff to allow the clew of a gaff topsail to extend beyond the peak of the gaff.
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a short spar attached to the truck of a mast to support the upper part of a club topsail.
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verb (used with object)
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clubs,
present (3rd person singular)
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clubbed,
past participle, past
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clubbing
present participle
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to beat with or as with a club.
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to gather or form into a clublike mass.
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to unite; combine; join together.
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to contribute as one's share toward a joint expense; make up by joint contribution (often followed by up ortogether ).
They clubbed their dollars together to buy the expensive present.
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to defray by proportional shares.
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to hold (a rifle, shotgun, etc.) by the barrel, so as to use the stock as a club.
verb (used without object)
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clubs,
present (3rd person singular)
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clubbed,
past participle, past
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clubbing
present participle
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Informal. to go to nightclubs, especially to dance, drink, and socialize.
The students at that university go clubbing every Friday night.
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to combine or join together, as for a common purpose.
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to attend a club or a club's activities.
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to gather into a mass.
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to contribute to a common fund.
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Nautical. to drift in a current with an anchor, usually rigged with a spring, dragging or dangling to reduce speed.
adjective
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of or relating to a club.
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consisting of a combination of foods offered at the price set on the menu.
They allow no substitutions on the club luncheon.
noun
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a stout stick, usually with one end thicker than the other, esp one used as a weapon
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a stick or bat used to strike the ball in various sports, esp golf See golf club
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short for Indian club
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a group or association of people with common aims or interests
a wine club
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the room, building, or facilities used by such a group
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( in combination )
clubhouse
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a building in which elected, fee-paying members go to meet, dine, read, etc
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a commercial establishment in which people can drink and dance; disco See also nightclub
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an organization, esp in a shop, set up as a means of saving
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an informal word for friendly society
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the black trefoil symbol on a playing card
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a card with one or more of these symbols or ( when pl ) the suit of cards so marked
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nautical
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a spar used for extending the clew of a gaff topsail beyond the peak of the gaff
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short for club foot
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slang pregnant
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slang away from work due to sickness, esp when receiving sickness benefit
verb
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(tr) to beat with or as if with a club
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(often foll by together) to gather or become gathered into a group
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(often foll by together) to unite or combine (resources, efforts, etc) for a common purpose
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(tr) to use (a rifle or similar firearm) as a weapon by holding the barrel and hitting with the butt
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(intr) nautical to drift in a current, reducing speed by dragging anchor
Synonym Usage
See circle.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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clubsimple
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clubssimple
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have clubbedperfect
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has clubbedperfect
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am clubbingprogressive
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are clubbingprogressive
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is clubbingprogressive
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have been clubbingperfect progressive
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has been clubbingperfect progressive
Past
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clubbedsimple
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had clubbedperfect
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was clubbingprogressive
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were clubbingprogressive
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had been clubbingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of club
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English clubbe, from Old Norse klubba; akin to clump
Explanation
A club is a group of people who share an interest, whether it's playing chess or hiding out in a tree house together. You might join a club if you love to play golf or discuss books with a friendly bunch of people. This kind of club is a formal group — another type is simply a big, heavy stick, or a long metal one used for hitting a golf ball. You can even use it as a verb: "Don't club that snake! Just move it over to the field." The root word is the Old Norse klubba, or "cudgel, club."
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:
Feedback and interaction differs from club to club.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
A football novice when he bought the club, Xu helped the team win multiple league championships.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
German football club fan groups are planning to launch widespread protests over VAR technology during the first round of German Cup matches this weekend.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
“We recently became aware of the detainment of minor league catching coordinator Oswaldo Pirela in El Paso, Texas,” the Padres club said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
“I wouldn’t recommend entering them in any pony club competitions any time soon.”
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
In the 2023-24 season, widespread fan action including littering pitches with tennis balls and chocolate coins resulted in the scrapping of an investment deal, despite the proposal winning majority support of clubs.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
No matter how ridiculous it all is, when I hear other parents talk about competing clubs and leagues, I get paranoid that I’m doing it all wrong.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
On Thursday, fan groups from clubs across the country shared co-signed statements critical of VAR and calling for the video assistant referee technology to be abolished.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
There is an argument buying from Premier League clubs costs more because they are all relatively rich.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
The club had distinguished itself by competing every year in the Metropolitan Chess League, often defeating dozens of clubs throughout the New York area.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Philadelphia’s Trea Turner and Alex Bohm each clubbed singles in the fourth inning, but little came to fruition.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
Tibbs clubbed 28 home runs in his junior year at Florida State, powering the Seminoles to their first College World Series trip since 2019.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2026
Archer clubbed two sixes, while Root celebrated his ton with a trademark reverse-scoop off Boland for a maximum of his own.
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2025
The 1970s oil shock and stagflation clubbed the economy when she was a teen, and high interest rates thwarted home buyers in the 1980s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2025
Once you get used to it, reality is as irresistible as a club, and I was clubbed into the cellar before I caught the hint.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
But Abbie, 30, said she recognised the way the industry was going, with many people turning their backs on clubbing and late-night revelry.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
It’s such a primal feeling to go clubbing, to all come together and dance to a beat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
Possible targets include rheumatoid arthritis, anemia and finger clubbing.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 4, 2026
She had just turned 18 and it was her first time clubbing in the city.
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2026
"Or is it all just clubbing and shopping trips?"
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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.
