innkeeper
Americannoun
-
innkeepers
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of innkeeper
Explanation
An innkeeper is someone who owns or manages an inn. When you arrive at an inn, the innkeeper might be the person who checks you in and gives you a key to your room (and maybe a chocolate on your pillow). The earliest innkeepers ran inns in Europe during medieval times. These inns provided lodging, food, and a place for travelers to leave their horses, and an innkeeper managed all of these details. Today in the UK, some pubs call themselves inns, so you might find an innkeeper serving pints there, while in the US an inn is almost always a more charming version of a motel, run by an innkeeper.
Vocabulary lists containing innkeeper
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 believe everything out of the common,” says the innkeeper.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
“It’s pretty usual for us in Humboldt County to get earthquakes,” said Chappelle, who is the innkeeper of Hydrangea Inn, which was built by her great-aunt in the 1930s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2024
But Ms. Rolikova, the innkeeper, thought it was important to see it, and so she opened the padlocked door to reveal a palimpsest of Russia over the past century.
From New York Times ● Aug. 6, 2023
Audience members also got a glimpse of Olivia Colman as a Cockney innkeeper and Sally Hawkins as Wonka's mother.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2023
He has been traveling for six hours, at least, and has been assured by the innkeeper that the journey would end before dark.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
For a number of years, the marathon included both a racing and touring division and featured refueling stops with delectable fare provided by local innkeepers and restaurateurs.
From New York Times ● Mar. 2, 2023
A couple in upstate New York became impromptu innkeepers for South Korean tourists over the weekend after the visitors became stranded in an intense blizzard.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 26, 2022
The innkeepers are expected to wear multiple hats, and while it might sound like a daunting role, the job listing went viral around 2019.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 20, 2022
Most of the masks in the game are acquired through earning badges by performing tasks for some of the people Sable meets along her journey — innkeepers, machinists, etc.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 1, 2021
“Kote, sir,” Kote replied in an indulgent tone that mothers use on children and innkeepers use on drunks.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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