pub
noun
a bar or tavern.
pub
1 American
[puhb]
/ pʌb /
noun
-
pubs
plural
pub.
2
American
abbreviation
-
public.
-
publication.
-
published.
-
publisher.
-
publishing.
pub.
1
British
abbreviation
-
public
-
publication
-
published
-
publisher
-
publishing
pub
2
British
/ pʌb /
noun
-
Formal name: public house. a building with a bar and one or more public rooms licensed for the sale and consumption of alcoholic drink, often also providing light meals
-
a hotel
verb
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of pub
First recorded in 1855–60; short for public house
Explanation
A pub is a bar or tavern that serves food and often acts as a community gathering place. People visit pubs to eat lunch, to drink beer, or to play darts with their friends. Pub is a shortened form of public house that dates from 1859. In the sixteenth century, a public house was first "any building open to the public," and then "an inn that sells food and drink." Today, the word pub is more or less synonymous with tavern — both are primarily places to drink beer, wine, or spirits, though a pub (especially in Great Britain) is seen as vital to its neighborhood, a cozy place to gather.
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:
The pub closed last year but now some locals, led by Mark, have formed The Shipmates group to try to raise £600,000 to buy and run it.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
"We're set to lose one pub a day by the end of the year and 295 have closed already," she said.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Police were called to the camp by Ruben's stepson, who had found baby oil, Vaseline and syringes, and Ruben was subsequently detained at a nearby pub and charged.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Somehow he has de-dissolved, and we find him working in an Edinburgh pub, looking like an ordinary Englishman, rather than a mechanical man.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
In contrast to the Three Broomsticks, the pub appeared to be completely empty.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
“I was in a pub. You worked without agents then — just be in the pub — somebody said, ‘Yeah, he’s an actor,’ and you got a job.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 2022
"It's been really sad for me to see places like Elterwater where the village shop is gone and there's just a pub. Even the nearby Chapel Stile, that's struggling now."
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2021
“That was a pub. That was a pub. That was a pub.”
From Washington Post ● Jun. 15, 2018
He said, "Oh, I'll go down to the pub. I'll read the paper."
From The Verge ● Oct. 14, 2015
“No! I knew you liked me the first night you stepped into the pub. You were talking all straightforward like, reprimanding me for asking about your trunk.”
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Why are so many pubs and clubs closing?
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Duty paid on draught alcohol in pubs and bars is up to 11 pence cheaper than that sold in supermarkets.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Figures from the Office for National Statistics, external show that 27% of pubs and bars in Lincolnshire closed between 2009 and 2025.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
“I was sick of only being able to go to pubs with my dog,” Johnson said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
She went to museums and restaurants, eating steaks in quiet establishments and burgers in noisy pubs.
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
