saloon

American  

[suh-loon] / səˈlun /

noun

• saloons
  plural

1. a place for the sale and consumption of alcoholic drinks.

2. a room or place for general use for a specific purpose.

   a dining saloon on a ship.

3. a large cabin for the common use of passengers on a passenger vessel.

4. British.

   1. (in a tavern or pub) a section of a bar or barroom separated from the public bar and often having more comfortable furnishings and a quieter atmosphere.

   2. saloon car.

5. a drawing room or reception room.

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saloon British  

/ səˈluːn /

noun

1. Also called: saloon bar. another word for lounge

2. a large public room on a passenger ship

3. any large public room used for a specific purpose

   a dancing saloon

4. a place where alcoholic drink is sold and consumed

5. US, Canadian, and NZ name: sedan. a closed two-door or four-door car with four to six seats

6. an obsolete word for salon

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• saloons
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of saloon

First recorded in 1720–30; variant of salon

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Explanation

A saloon is an old-fashioned name for a bar or a tavern. Suggest meeting at the local saloon after work and your friends might give you a funny look, but they'll know what you mean. A saloon is a place to sit drink a beer, though it's much more common these days to call it a bar or a pub. In the Old West, saloons played a huge role, providing refreshment to prospectors, trappers, and cowboys. The word comes from the French salon, and it originally had the same meaning, "living room." Later, saloon meant "hall," especially one on a boat or a train. In 1800's America, it came to mean "public house or bar."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

saloon saloons

Last chance saloon for a few of them come next internationals.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

Located on Main Street in an 1897 brick building, this inn, restaurant and saloon originally served as a boardinghouse for Homestake Gold Mine miners.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

It was the magnitude of the response that night at the saloon, as on every other night they’ve performed, that’s inspiring their next moves: total domination in sum.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026

What used to be the stage in the old saloon got shifted to the other side.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2026

Kingshaw looked out of the windows of the saloon car, through the streams of rain.

From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill

Even the smaller "crossover" versions, more closely related to conventional cars, tend to be taller and wider than traditional saloons, hatchbacks or estates.

From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2025

Harnett found an enthusiastic clientele among merchants and industrialists who appreciated his male themes and appealing arrangements; they proudly hung his works in offices, stores and saloons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025

In its 19th century heyday, Randsburg boasted a population of 3,500 with churches, saloons, hotels and a thousand-seat opera house.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2024

In Russia, novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky described the streets of St. Petersburg, the rundown quarters in which the poor were condemned to live, and the cheap saloons in which they sought relief.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022

It was late, but a bone expert from Chicago had presented that night and they might still be carousing in the local saloons.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

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Related Words

• barroom
• hangout
• nightclub
• pub
• speakeasy
• tavern
• watering hole

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