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Synonyms

inn

1 American  
[in] / ɪn /

noun

  1. a commercial establishment that provides lodging, food, etc., for the public, especially travelers; small hotel.

    Synonyms:
    hostelry

  2. a tavern.

  3. (initial capital letter)

    1. any of several buildings in London formerly used as places of residence for students, especially law students.

    2. a legal society occupying such a building.

Inn 2 American  
[in] / ɪn /

noun

  1. a river in central Europe, flowing from S Switzerland through Austria and Germany into the Danube. 320 miles (515 km) long.

inn 1 British  
/ ɪn /

noun

  1. a pub or small hotel providing food and accommodation

  2. (formerly, in England) a college or hall of residence for students, esp of law, now only in the names of such institutions as the Inns of Court

"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
Inn 2 British  
/ ɪn /

noun

  1. a river in central Europe, rising in Switzerland in Graubünden and flowing northeast through Austria and Bavaria to join the River Danube at Passau: forms part of the border between Austria and Germany. Length: 514 km (319 miles)

"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

Related Words

See hotel.

Other Word Forms

  • innless adjective

Etymology

Origin of inn

First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English in(n) “house”; akin to Old Norse inni (adverb) “within, in the house”

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.

Alibaba, NIO, and other U.S.-listed Chinese stocks were falling inn premarket trading Thursday after Beijing set its lowest economic growth target in decades.

From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026

All you need to know is that Dunk meets Egg at a roadside inn.

From Salon • Jan. 17, 2026

The question, as usual, is whether people are too busy celebrating the story of the nativity to make room at the inn.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 24, 2025

Jully Lee was brilliant as Hannah, the itinerant painter who turns up with her 97-year-old poet father at a Mexican seaside inn that is like a refuge for the world’s strays.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2025

A combination saloon, inn, and post office—not unlike Surratt’s tavern—it was known among Confederate sympathizers as a reliable safe house and place to exchange information.

From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson

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.