tavern

[ tav-ern ]

/ ˈtæv ərn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tavern ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a place where liquors are sold to be consumed on the premises.

a public house for travelers and others; inn.

Nearby words

tautonym, tautosyllabic, tav, tavel, tavener, tavern, tavern nuts, tavern table, taverna, taverner, tavr

Origin of tavern

1250–1300; Middle English taverne < Old French < Latin taberna hut, inn, wine shop

SYNONYMS FOR tavern

1 bar; pub.

2 hostelry. See hotel.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tavern ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

tav·ern·less, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tavern

She could have auditioned to be the tavern wench or a faerie; instead, she signed on as a merchant, knitting chain-mail bikinis.
Best Career Arc Ever: From Burlesque To Bartending|Anne Berry|September 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At the end of the fourth season premiere, Arya and The Hound stumble upon a tavern in the woods.
Game of Thrones’ 8 Most Gruesome Deaths: From The Mountain’s Exploding Head Kill to Rat Torture|Marlow Stern|June 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We got our first clue last week when Arya Stark and The Hound stumbled across a tavern in the woods.
Game of Thrones’ ‘The Lion and the Rose’: Joffrey’s Demented, Shocking Royal Wedding|Andrew Romano|April 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As I arrive, I notice a string of cement flowerpots blocking the road right outside the tavern.
Half of This Bar Is in Slovenia, the Other Half Is in Croatia|Jeff Campagna|January 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST

I feel like I am in a John Le Carré novel and scurry into the tavern in hopes of avoiding an “international incident.”
Half of This Bar Is in Slovenia, the Other Half Is in Croatia|Jeff Campagna|January 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Dodichet entered the room as jauntily as if it were a tavern, leading his intimate friend by the hand.
San-Cravate; or, The Messengers; Little Streams|Charles Paul de Kock
These gentlemen went over to the tavern near by and found the people there greatly excited and tried to reassure them.
Once Upon A Time In Connecticut|Caroline Clifford Newton
While this scene was going on at the tavern, Sam and Andy, in a state of high felicitation, pursued their way home.
Uncle Tom's Cabin|Harriet Beecher Stowe
As they went up the tavern steps and entered the door, the loungers stared at them with wide-opened eyes.
Within the Capes|Howard Pyle
He studied all morning; then dined at a tavern; and went afterward to Button's.
Homes and Haunts of the Most Eminent British Poets, Vol. I (of 2)|William Howitt

British Dictionary definitions for tavern

tavern

/ (ˈtævən) /

noun

a less common word for pub

US, Eastern Canadian and NZ a place licensed for the sale and consumption of alcoholic drink

Word Origin for tavern

C13: from Old French taverne, from Latin taberna hut

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