a commercial establishment that provides lodging, food, etc., for the public, especially travelers; small hotel.
a tavern.
(initial capital letter)
any of several buildings in London formerly used as places of residence for students, especially law students.
a legal society occupying such a building.
a pub or small hotel providing food and accommodation
(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
See hotel.
First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English in(n) “house”; akin to Old Norse inni (adverb) “within, in the house”
An inn is a place to stay while you're on vacation or on the road. Inns are usually smaller and more charming than hotels, but they serve the same purpose: to give you a place to rest your weary head as you travel. Some inns are more charming versions of hotels, while others use the word inn simply to make them sound more appealing than a motel. The original meaning of inn was "lodging and food for travelers," although today some inns don't have a restaurant or bar attached. If you own or manage an inn, you're an "innkeeper." Inn comes from the Old English inne, "inside or within."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It follows years of controversy about what to do with the 17th-Century former inn, where Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler was born in April 1889.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
"At the same time, it was essential that we preserved the character, atmosphere and soul of the inn," he added.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
The inn has reopened its snack bar for the first time since early 2023, and management is investing in capital upgrades and staging live music on weekends throughout the summer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
During the foot chase in November, Krndija dropped two other Domaine de la Romanée-Conti bottles worth thousands of dollars that he had taken from the inn.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026
The inn was the busiest building in the village, mostly due to the pub on its first floor.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
About one million people attend the parade on what is known as Christopher Street Day, commemorating the 1969 gay uprising against police brutality at Stonewall Inn on New York City’s Christopher Street.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
The Dana Point Marina Inn was set to be demolished and replaced by two new hotels on the harbor, though the vote to approve the leases has been postponed to next month.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
Cava, despite the broader company’s stock decline, was still packed with salad-hungry customers; so were Naya and Dig Inn.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
The chef partner relaunched the 300-year-old Bryntirion Inn, in Bala, Gwynedd, last year with an updated menu and refurbished dining room.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
The bus’s brand was Blue Bird, so the family called it the Blue Bird Inn.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
Where to Stay: Around Hawley and Honesdale—the towns near camps like IHC and Trail’s End—there are plenty of no-frills inns to choose from.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
They could be in pubs, taverns, inns or coffee houses.
From BBC ● Nov. 15, 2024
In its heyday, the town’s main drag featured saloons, dance halls, inns and gambling houses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2024
There are a few cafes and inns, but no car rental shops, gas stations or public transportation.
From Seattle Times ● May 24, 2024
Officers had laid claim to most of the rooms in likely inns; others were taken by the wealthier of Loyalists come in from the countryside.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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.
