salon

American  

[suh-lon, sa-lawn] / səˈlɒn, saˈlɔ̃ /

noun

• salons
  plural

1. a drawing room or reception room in a large house.

2. an assembly of guests in such a room, especially an assembly, common during the 17th and 18th centuries, consisting of the leaders in society, art, politics, etc.

3. a hall or place used for the exhibition of works of art.

4. a shop, business, or department of a store offering a specific product or service related to fashion, hairdressing, or beauty.

   a bridal salon;

   a hair salon;

   a beauty salon.

5. (initial capital letter) (in France)

   1. the Salon, an annual exhibition of works of art by living artists, originally held at the Salon d'Apollon: it became, during the 19th century, the focal point of artistic controversy and was identified with academicism and official hostility to progress in art.

   2. a national exhibition of works of art by living artists.

      Salon des Refusés; Salon des Indépendants.

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salon British  

/ ˈsælɒn /

noun

1. a room in a large house in which guests are received

2. an assembly of guests in a fashionable household, esp a gathering of major literary, artistic, and political figures from the 17th to the early 20th centuries

3. a commercial establishment in which hairdressers, beauticians, etc, carry on their businesses

   beauty salon

4. 1. a hall for exhibiting works of art

   2. such an exhibition, esp one showing the work of living artists

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salon Cultural  

1. A periodic gathering of persons noted in literature, philosophy, the fine arts, or similar areas, held at one person's home. Salons thrived in the Enlightenment.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• salons
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of salon

First recorded in 1705–15; from French, from Italian salone, equivalent to sal(a) “hall” (from Germanic; compare Old English sæl, Old Saxon seli, German Saal, Old Norse salr ) + -one augmentative suffix

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Explanation

Use the noun salon when you talk about the place you get your hair cut. A salon is a good place to get a perm or highlights, to get your nails painted, or just to get a trim. A salon is like a barber shop, only fancier. Most salons offer all kinds of beauty treatments in addition to haircuts, like hair styling and coloring, facials, and massages. Another kind of salon is a formal living room — if you invited guests for tea, you might sit and sip it in your salon. The word salon is French, originally meaning "reception room." In 1800's France, the meaning grew to include a "gathering of elegant people" occurring regularly in such a room.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

salon salons

In addition, the home comes with a gym, steam shower, massage and salon rooms, a home theater, game room, and two private balconies.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

In the local hair salon, sporting a mane of thick pink braids, is Providence Maseko.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

“Instead of supporting and bolstering her as a creative in their midst, she became their salon host,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

By contrast, the living room on the lower level—a 48-by-33-foot space that would be the equivalent of the salon on a luxury liner—is almost primordial in character.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Rivera where to find the cheapest hair salon and the best Goodwill and how to get to the nearest Western Union.

From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez

From our apartment, I could reach five coffee shops, more nail salons than any person could reasonably need, clothing stores, restaurants and the beach.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

In Nairobi and other major towns, migrants from the region can be found working in barber shops and salons, construction, operating motorbike taxis and street vending, as well as selling clothes, food and household goods.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

They hung it in their apartment, soon to host their Saturday evening salons for artists and writers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

With margins squeezed by higher taxes and a slowing economy, pharmacies, restaurants, beauty salons and corner shops are increasingly steering customers towards cash to keep more income off the books.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

It was the “newest city” of the world, Twain had written—a place where scientists, writers, philosophers, and intellectuals were gathering in cafés and salons to forge a free and futuristic society.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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