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public house

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noun
  1. British. a tavern.
  2. an inn or hostelry.
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Origin of public house

First recorded in 1565–75

Synonyms

See more synonyms for public house on Thesaurus.com
See hotel.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for public house

Historical Examples

  • He was lying in the hedge by the public-house, three sheets in the wind.

    The Manxman

    Hall Caine

  • No doubt she was still the widow's right hand in the public-house.

  • His mind wandered off again to Prince Radziwil and to that day in the public-house.

  • There is no public-house in the place, and little temptation of any kind.

  • There was a great lath of a fellow who kept the "Star and Garter" public-house.

    Recollections

    David Christie Murray

British Dictionary definitions for public house

public house

noun
  1. British the formal name for pub
  2. US and Canadian an inn, tavern, or small hotel
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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