pub
noun
a bar or tavern.
pub
1 American
[puhb]
/ pʌb /
noun
-
pubs
plural
pub.
2
American
abbreviation
-
public.
-
publication.
-
published.
-
publisher.
-
publishing.
pub.
1
British
abbreviation
-
public
-
publication
-
published
-
publisher
-
publishing
pub
2
British
/ pʌb /
noun
-
Formal name: public house. a building with a bar and one or more public rooms licensed for the sale and consumption of alcoholic drink, often also providing light meals
-
a hotel
verb
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of pub
First recorded in 1855–60; short for public house
Explanation
A pub is a bar or tavern that serves food and often acts as a community gathering place. People visit pubs to eat lunch, to drink beer, or to play darts with their friends. Pub is a shortened form of public house that dates from 1859. In the sixteenth century, a public house was first "any building open to the public," and then "an inn that sells food and drink." Today, the word pub is more or less synonymous with tavern — both are primarily places to drink beer, wine, or spirits, though a pub (especially in Great Britain) is seen as vital to its neighborhood, a cozy place to gather.
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:
When we meet in the pub - drinking diet cola - Barry, from Chester-le-Street, says he reached 25 stone last year at the age of 50.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
To go ahead with a change of use under the new rules, developers will need to provide evidence that there is no reasonable prospect of keeping a pub business running.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
A previous consultation on the plans only gave the protection to the last pub in the area.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Among those who have been able to return home are the Abdullah family, who fled as they were preparing to head to a local Wetherspoons pub to celebrate 18-year-old Dominic's A-level results.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
I take a breath at the bottom of the stairs and proceed into the pub with the suitcase.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
"It's a devastating blow for villages to lose their only pub. We are a social hub."
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2023
“I was in a pub. You worked without agents then — just be in the pub — somebody said, ‘Yeah, he’s an actor,’ and you got a job.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 2022
“We’re not talking to our friends in the pub. We are public figures, and we have an additional obligation to be careful,” Wright told the BBC.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 9, 2018
He said, "Oh, I'll go down to the pub. I'll read the paper."
From The Verge ● Oct. 14, 2015
“I sealed it, I think it unwise to leave it open now Aberforth has left his pub. Have you seen my grandson?”
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
The rules will reportedly stop owners from deliberately killing off trade in order to justify a closure, protecting pubs which have been historically successful.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
For years, Richmond was known as one of London’s most charming residential enclaves—a peaceful riverside neighborhood filled with independent shops, cozy pubs, and leafy parks.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
The Lady Greyhounds confront doubts about their talent in pubs, from the stands and in the media.
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2026
It follows a report on page three of Thursday's Guardian newspaper, headlined "Time at the bar? Council accused of trying to stop pubs being pubs with 'no standing' plan".
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
I search all the pubs on Parnell Street and around.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
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.
