cover charge

American

noun

a fee, in addition to the cost of food and drink, charged by a restaurant, nightclub, etc., for entertainment.

cover charge British

noun

a sum of money charged in a restaurant for each individual customer in addition to the cost of food and drink

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cover charge

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25

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:

cover charge

Pro tip: Bring cash for the cover charge, or plan to use the on-site ATM.

From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026

There's a cover charge for show nights, but bowling is reasonable if you have a group, as it's only $35 per lane, per half hour.

From Salon ● Mar. 19, 2023

It’s essentially a cover charge to get into the same page where you might be able to click a buy button, or you might not.

From The Verge ● Nov. 19, 2021

“A drink that used to cost $15 now costs $3. A $60 cover charge is now $20. It’s like we’re holding a fire sale,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2021

It is only 135 hours until we are all standing at the door of Atlantis again with our cover charge in our palms.

From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023