nightclub
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of nightclub
Explanation
A nightclub is a bar or a disco where people can dance or be entertained late into the night. There are many nightclubs in New York City, but there are no nightclubs at all in most tiny Vermont villages. Visitors to a nightclub can eat and drink; watch singers, dancers, or comedians perform; and usually also dance to live music or songs played by a DJ. You can also call a nightclub a "club" for short — the dance floor is what distinguishes it from a bar or a pub. The word nightclub sounds modern, but it dates from the late nineteenth century.
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.
Brook initially claimed to have been alone at the nightclub in Wellington, only for it to emerge that he was alongside team-mates Jacob Bethell and Josh Tongue.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
“It feels like a nightclub in here where everyone is battling for the biggest bottle,” said art-market economist Magnus Resch, as he mingled with collector Eugenio Lopez and art adviser Evan Beard.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
After whipping through a few jokes about his appearance and occupation, he paused and looked to the audience at Beaches Tropicana nightclub in West Hollywood.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
If scientists could peek into your brain while you listened to Chet Baker sing “My Funny Valentine,” perhaps they’d see how his worn-down murmurings float you off to a nightclub in the stars.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
We arranged to go to a 52nd Street nightclub to hear Billie Holiday, who had been on the road and was just back in New York.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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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.