Barbary Coast
Americannoun
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the Mediterranean coastline of the former Barbary States: former pirate refuge.
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the waterfront district of San Francisco in the 19th century, notorious for its cheap bars and nightclubs, prostitutes, gambling houses, and high incidence of crime.
noun
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.
Barbary macaques are native to the Barbary Coast, the historic name given to coastal regions of North Africa.
From National Geographic • Nov. 9, 2023
A Barbary Coast madam’s illegitimate son, a district attorney, tries her for murder.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 6, 2019
The Barbary Coast, described as the oldest bar in this North Carolina city, has a time-honored custom of staying open in tropical storms.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 13, 2018
Others, off the coast of Africa, still hold treasure from the days of the Barbary Coast pirate nations.
From New York Times • May 17, 2016
Patterns of new dance forms were derived by Pavlowa from the wild rhythms she found on the old Barbary Coast.
From Fascinating San Francisco by Wood, Andrew Y.
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.
