bartender
Americannoun
-
bartenders
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bartender
Explanation
A bartender is a person who mixes, pours, and serves drinks from behind a bar. The bartender at a bar mitzvah may spend hours putting little paper umbrellas in Shirley Temples for the young guests. If you work as a bartender, you need to know how to mix cocktails, pour wine and beer, and keep the bar tidy. Most bartenders don't make a high hourly wage, but depend on tips to make a good living. Many events, like wedding receptions and big parties, include a bartender. The word itself dates from the early 19th century, from bar, which comes from the barrier or counter over which drinks are served, and tender, or "seller."
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:
At closing time, the bartender doesn’t ask who ordered.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
Riley has now recovered and is back working in a pub as a bartender.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
At a Hilton Hotel bar near Tokyo, bartender Shingo Miyachi prepares a negroni with one of Kuramoto Ice's big, clear cubes.
From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026
Before that, he was a bartender newly arrived from Oklahoma that the drummer befriended.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
“I suppose my memory just isn’t what it used to be,” the bartender said.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
My gaze drifted to the bartenders, who seemed bored, waiting for the evening rush.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Ice handling is considered an essential skill for Japanese bartenders, who often begin their training by learning to break it with precision.
From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026
A DJ checks the sound and bartenders shake their elevated work while Benidorm turns to gold below.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
The crowds were a welcome boon for the bartenders, enlivening what is usually a lull at Joxer Daly’s, which is away from the beaches and beer gardens where customers gather in the summer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
They walked in stiff-eyeing the bartenders and waiters who caught their message and acted as though they never had seen them before.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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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.
