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posada

American  
[poh-sah-duh, paw-sah-thah] / poʊˈsɑ də, pɔˈsɑ ðɑ /

noun

  • posadas
    plural
  1. (in some Spanish-speaking countries) a government-operated or -approved inn offering moderately priced rooms to tourists, especially in a historic area.


posada British  
/ poˈsaða /

noun

  1. an inn in a Spanish-speaking country

"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

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of posada

1755–65; < Spanish: inn, lodging, dwelling, equivalent to pos ( ar ) to lodge, rest (< Late Latin pausāre; see pose 1) + -ada, feminine of -ado -ate 1

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.

See Examples For:

On the road rising to the Pyrenees, we stop at a posada, a roadside inn where strings of chorizo and peppers hang like wind chimes above the bar.

From Salon Nov. 8, 2025

In a 2015 profile, he told The Times that he was guided by the concept of la posada — meaning inn or lodging.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 3, 2025

The ill-fated Christmas party, known as a posada, was organized by a group of young people, many of whom had known one another for years.

From Los Angeles Times Dec. 31, 2023

But at the posada event, crowded in the One Morgan County offices, the assurances of community itself showed through the eyes of partygoers as children in cultural regalia danced traditional Mexican dances.

From Seattle Times Dec. 23, 2023

We passed through a town and stopped in front of the posada, and the driver took on several packages.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

Socialites have formed private “monkey clubs,” gathering for extravagant Christmas posadas and pool parties.

From Los Angeles Times Jan. 17, 2024

She has attended these posadas since she was a kid.

From Seattle Times Dec. 24, 2022

The Xochimilco posadas last several hours longer than most, and start at 8 a.m. when the host family picks up the Niñopa from its stewards.

From Seattle Times Dec. 24, 2022

State housing officials at the Provincial Housing Company of Havana say the new network of five posadas will be highly lucrative and will help people struggling with Havana's overcrowded and scarce housing.

From BBC Jul. 3, 2017

"You must be greatly in want of some refreshment, for the wretched posadas on the road cannot have offered you any thing eatable."

From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846 by Various

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