speakeasy

[ speek-ee-zee ]

See synonyms for speakeasy on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural speak·eas·ies.

a saloon or nightclub selling alcoholic beverages illegally, especially during Prohibition.

Origin of speakeasy

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; speak + easy

word story For speakeasy

Speakeasies are usually and correctly associated with American Prohibition (1920–33), but the word actually goes back to the late 1880s in the United States, and back even further in Australia (the 1830s). Speakeasies are so named not because the customers were quiet, shy, or taciturn, but because no one wanted to attract the attention of unsympathetic neighbors, the local police, or the revenuers by talking too loudly.

Words Nearby speakeasy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use speakeasy in a sentence

The Prohibition Era lasted only from 1920-23, but in that time the crime of drinking was driven underground into speakeasies and basements.
The 'Safe Supply' Movement Aims to Curb Drug Deaths Linked to the Opioid Crisis | Paul Moakley | October 25, 2021 | Time
This all started before the resumption of Major League Baseball and other professional sports, and it sometimes seemed as if our tournaments were the only serious competitive sports happening in the country, a sort of speakeasy baseball.
The Lost Year: What the Pandemic Cost Teenagers | by Alec MacGillis, photography by Celeste Sloman | March 8, 2021 | ProPublica
It all makes for a very cool bar, sure, but as a speakeasy, it feels a little muddled.
The Secret Speakeasies of Buenos Aires | Jeff Campagna | February 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
They were paid $50 to play a tiny Los Angeles speakeasy called The Lava Lounge—now The Woods.
Cold War Kids on Faith, Hipster Detractors & Their Musical Evolution | Marlow Stern | April 17, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
You couldn't see him for dust as he broke for the nearest 'speakeasy,' and the two panhandlers were hanging on to his coat tails.
Side Show Studies | Francis Metcalfe

You can take the first shot with old 'speakeasy' an' then I'll try her.
The Southerner | Thomas Dixon
He's been in the "cigar store" bookie racket ever since repeal had closed a speakeasy he'd had on Grand Avenue.
Direct Wire | Clee Garson

British Dictionary definitions for speakeasy

speakeasy

/ (ˈspiːkˌiːzɪ) /

nounplural -easies

US a place where alcoholic drink was sold illicitly during Prohibition

Origin of speakeasy

C19: from speak + easy (in the sense: gently, quietly)

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

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