nightlife
Americannoun
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the activity of people seeking nighttime diversion, as at a nightclub, theater, or the like.
-
the entertainment available to them.
noun
Etymology
Origin of nightlife
Explanation
Popular entertainment that happens after dark is called nightlife. In your small town, the nightlife might be all about disco night at the Elks Lodge. Any social activity you take part in at night can be called nightlife, but the word usually describes things like dancing at clubs, big parties, and live music concerts. If you visit a large city, there is going to be more nightlife available than if you spend the summer in remote Alaska. This word, with its original definition, "habitual nocturnal carousing," dates from the 1850s.
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.
If you spend three hours catching up over dinner instead of hopping between bars, are you participating less in nightlife?
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
Los Angeles, which stands out alongside New York as one of the major nightlife players in “Up All Night.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Gastélum often shared pictures of himself posing with expensive cars, enjoying the nightlife and going on luxury trips, as well as comedy clips and challenges.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Dhoot loved the community, but not the ghost-town nightlife.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
Reginald tells of some traveling he’s done, but I rival it all with stories of Roxbury nightlife, not to mention my recent forays into Harlem.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
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.
