inn
noun
a commercial establishment that provides lodging, food, etc., for the public, especially travelers; small hotel.
inn
1 American
[in]
/ ɪn /
noun
-
inns
plural
-
a commercial establishment that provides lodging, food, etc., for the public, especially travelers; small hotel.
- Synonyms:
- hostelry
-
a tavern.
-
(initial capital letter)
-
any of several buildings in London formerly used as places of residence for students, especially law students.
-
a legal society occupying such a building.
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Inn
2
American
[in]
/ ɪn /
noun
inn
1
British
/ ɪn /
noun
-
a pub or small hotel providing food and accommodation
-
(formerly, in England) a college or hall of residence for students, esp of law, now only in the names of such institutions as the Inns of Court
Inn
2
British
/ ɪn /
noun
Synonym Usage
See hotel.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of inn
First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English in(n) “house”; akin to Old Norse inni (adverb) “within, in the house”
Explanation
An inn is a place to stay while you're on vacation or on the road. Inns are usually smaller and more charming than hotels, but they serve the same purpose: to give you a place to rest your weary head as you travel. Some inns are more charming versions of hotels, while others use the word inn simply to make them sound more appealing than a motel. The original meaning of inn was "lodging and food for travelers," although today some inns don't have a restaurant or bar attached. If you own or manage an inn, you're an "innkeeper." Inn comes from the Old English inne, "inside or within."
Vocabulary lists containing inn
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:
It follows years of controversy about what to do with the 17th-Century former inn, where Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler was born in April 1889.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Lately, Chahal has been sprucing up the motor inn: new cabinets, new furniture, fresh paint every few months.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2026
Business “is up over 100%,” said Diane Ramey, whose family owns the inn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
During the foot chase in November, Krndija dropped two other Domaine de la Romanée-Conti bottles worth thousands of dollars that he had taken from the inn.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026
I exit the inn just as a slender man with dark hair jogs by.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
The Post Ranch Inn is set to reopen on Wednesday and was “under no imminent threat,” the hotel said on Instagram.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
The Alila Ventana Big Sur resort is 51 years old, while the Post Ranch Inn sits on the former homestead of the Post pioneer family who settled in the region in the 1860s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
On a recent Friday night, Philadelphia’s Trestle Inn welcomed a crowd for a Prince-themed dance party.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Austria has opened a police station in the house where Adolf Hitler was born, in the town of Braunau am Inn.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
In Brooksville, short on funds, the Warden steered the Blue Bird Inn into a trailer park and declared this to be their new address.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
To make matters worse, the couple are mostly staying in tiny, quaint English inns and cottages—AC not included.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Plenty of motels have moved from budget to boutique, often renaming themselves as inns, lodges or hotels and capitalizing on their vintage looks.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2025
The fruits, also known as chequers, were once used to make a type of beer, and are thought by some to have given many UK pubs and inns their names.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2024
By the 18th century, servants at country houses and inns expected these gifts from guests, and sources at the time complained of the cost.
From National Geographic ● Feb. 26, 2024
‘Short cuts make delays, but inns make longer ones. At all costs we must keep you away from the Golden Perch. We want to get to Bucklebury before dark. What do you say, Sam?’
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
