durbar
Americannoun
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the court of an Indian ruler.
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a public audience or levee held by an Indian prince or by a British colonial governor or viceroy; an official reception.
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the hall or place where an Indian prince or British colonial governor holds a public audience.
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an audience held by an Indian prince or British colonial governor.
noun
Etymology
Origin of durbar
First recorded in 1600–10; alteration of Urdu darbār “court,” from Persian, equivalent to dar “door” + bār “entry”
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.
After a short-lived career teaching geography, Holden had looked forward to his Arabian posting, but he hadn't expected to be attending a garden durbar in honour of Queen Victoria's appointment as Empress of India.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2025
At a durbar, nothing quite prepares you for the riot of colours that adorn the gathering of chiefs all wearing kente.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2021
Instead of agreeing enthusiastically, as a maharajah in the 19th century would at Queen Victoria’s durbar, Modi wanted something in return.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 9, 2018
In the French television serial “Rani,” the opulence of Indian royalty and of the French 18th-century aristocracy are recreated with as much pomp as Chanel’s more exclusive durbar.
From New York Times ● Dec. 22, 2011
When Colonel Younghusband put the question direct to a head Lama in open durbar, 'Have you news of the Dalai Lama?
From The Unveiling of Lhasa by Edmund Candler
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.
