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Synonyms

honky-tonk

American  
[hong-kee-tongk, hawng-kee-tawngk] / ˈhɒŋ kiˌtɒŋk, ˈhɔŋ kiˌtɔŋk /

noun

  1. a cheap, noisy, and garish nightclub or dance hall.

adjective

  1. Also honky-tonky of, relating to, or characteristic of a honky-tonk.

    a honky-tonk atmosphere.

  2. characterized by or having a large number of honky-tonks.

    the honky-tonk part of town.

  3. Music. noting a style of ragtime piano-playing characterized by a strict two-four or four-four bass, either contrapuntal or chordal, and a melody embellished with chords and syncopated rhythms, typically performed on a piano whose strings have been muffled and given a tinny sound.

verb (used without object)

  1. to visit or frequent honky-tonks.

honky-tonk British  
/ ˈhɒŋkɪˌtɒŋk /

noun

  1. slang

    1. a cheap disreputable nightclub, bar, etc

    2. ( as modifier )

      a honky-tonk district

  2. a style of ragtime piano-playing, esp on a tinny-sounding piano

  3. a type of country music, usually performed by a small band with electric and steel guitars

  4. ( as modifier )

    honky-tonk music
"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

Other Word Forms

  • honky-tonker noun

Etymology

Origin of honky-tonk

1890–95, rhyming compound based on honk

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.

Her band, CC and the Boys, has also played at Lucinda’s and nearly every other honky-tonk in town.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025

This year, the venture expanded with a new location five times the size of the original in the heart of American honky-tonk: Nashville.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025

You won't find him on Broadway or in the city's famous honky-tonk music bars.

From BBC • Oct. 18, 2025

The second fantastic rom-com sequence is set at a honky-tonk bar, but, like the opener, it leads to a narrative dead end.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2025

When the main crowd of worshipers reached the short bridge spanning the pond, the ragged sound of honky-tonk music assailed them.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

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.