tavern

[tav-ern]

noun

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

   Synonyms: pub, bar

2. a public house for travelers and others; inn.

   Synonyms: hostelry

tavern

/ ˈtævən /

noun

1. a less common word for pub

2. a place licensed for the sale and consumption of alcoholic drink

Other Word Forms

• tavernless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tavern¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English taverne, from Old French, from Latin taberna “hut, inn, wine shop”

Word History and Origins

Origin of tavern¹

C13: from Old French taverne, from Latin taberna hut

Synonym Study

See hotel.

Example Sentences

A tavern is around a corner, a police department in front of me.

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Until now, the "Wurstkuchl" tavern in Bavaria has claimed to be "the oldest Bratwurst stand in the world."

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The latter here is represented via a large puppet created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, and the walk-through experience will take us from taverns to the back alley of a marketplace to the beholder’s lair.

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Soon, Paine’s pamphlet was everywhere — whispered by soldiers in Valley Forge tents, shouted in Philadelphia taverns, quoted in sermons.

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Mr Mitchell said descriptions of the tavern, which occupied the ground floor of a tall tenement, gave an impression of the claustrophobic confines of the Old Town.

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Related Words

• bar 
• hotel 
• inn 
• lodge 
• lounge 
• pub 
• saloon 
• watering hole