vestibule

American  

[ves-tuh-byool] / ˈvɛs təˌbjul /

noun

vestibules plural

1. a passage, hall, or antechamber between the outer door and the interior parts of a house or building.

2. Railroads. an enclosed space at the end of a passenger car, serving as a sheltered entrance to the car from another car or from outside the train.

3. Anatomy, Zoology. any of various cavities or hollows regarded as forming an approach or entrance to another cavity or space, as that of the internal ear.

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verb (used with object)

vestibuled, vestibuling

1. to provide with a vestibule.

vestibule British  

/ vɛˈstɪbjʊlə, ˈvɛstɪˌbjuːl /

noun

1. a small entrance hall or anteroom; lobby

2. any small bodily cavity or space at the entrance to a passage or canal

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vestibule Scientific  

/ vĕs′tə-byo̅o̅l′ /

1. An oval cavity in the inner ear that together with the semicircular canals makes up the organ that maintains equilibrium in vertebrates.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• vestibular
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• vestibules
  plural

Etymology

Origin of vestibule

First recorded in 1615–25, vestibule is from the Latin word vestibulum forecourt, entrance

Explanation

A vestibule is a little area just inside the main door of a building, but before a second door. You often find vestibules in churches, because they help keep heat from escaping every time someone enters or exits. The noun vestibule, pronounced "VES-tih-bule," probably comes from the Latin word vestibulum, which means “entrance court.” From about 1880 to 1930 vestibules were popular features in new homes because they create an additional barrier that keeps heat or cool air in and street noise out. If you have a vestibule, you can hang coats and leave shoes and gloves there instead of bringing them into the living room, kitchen and so on.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vestibule vestibules vestibuled

Soon after, Duverne tried to set fire to an emergency light in an elevator vestibule, Lalaind added.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026

That pressure came to a head after immigration officials detained two Target employees inside the vestibule of a suburban store late last week after what appeared to be some verbal sparring in the parking lot.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 13, 2026

Taking the photographs in a vestibule at the end of a carriage, Edwards taped a large bag to the opposite window to reduce the glare - though the train conductor was not so happy.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2024

Julia Andreasen, a graduate student at UM, was trapped in her tent for 24 hours after drifting snow buried the vestibule.

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 18, 2024

We were playing stickball on 122nd Street, and a foul ball went up on the flat roof over the church vestibule.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers

Some schools had security vestibules at their entrances and buzz-in systems to get inside from the outdoors.

From Salon ● May 27, 2022

That increased functionality starts right at the front door: The pandemic led to a resurgence in the popularity of foyers and vestibules at the main entryway.

From Seattle Times ● May 3, 2022

U.S. embassy spokesman Joseph Kruzich told the Economic Times that the embassy had employed measures, including supplementary air filtration and construction of vestibules, to provide clean air in workspaces.

From Reuters ● Nov. 7, 2016

For much of the last the decade, Charlie Chavez has spent his days like this, by street corners and library vestibules, trying to persuade people to sign whatever political petition he happens to be hawking.

From New York Times ● Oct. 23, 2010

Despite Pullman’s vestibules ice as fine as dust settled between coaches and filled Burnham’s train with the tang of deep winter.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Roger was out on the vestibuled platform before the wheels stopped screeching under the force of the brakes.

From The White Crystals Being an Account of the Adventures of Two Boys by Garis, Howard Roger

Of course, any one may ride in a vestibuled train in our country by simply paying a few dollars, but in Europe it takes a king of strong will power to obtain such luxury.

From Harper's Round Table, July 23, 1895 by Various

To our English cousins these ships were at first as much of a curiosity as our vestibuled trains were a few years since.

From American Merchant Ships and Sailors by Abbot, Willis J. (Willis John)

Limited express!" he said, "all parlor cars, vestibuled, and two dollars extra for a seat; fast time, and only stop at the big stations.

From The Wit and Humor of America, Volume VII. (of X.) by Wilder, Marshall Pinckney

Fortunately the cars were vestibuled, so the platforms offered no impediment.

From His Lordship's Leopard A Truthful Narration of Some Impossible Facts by Wells, David Dwight

Related Words

• doorway
• foyer
• hallway
• porch