tavern
noun
tav·ern ˈta-vərn 
1
: an establishment where alcoholic beverages are sold to be drunk on the premises
2
: inn
Synonyms
- bar
- barroom
- café
- cafe
- cantina [Southwest]
- dramshop
- gin mill
- grogshop [chiefly British]
- pub
- public house [chiefly British]
- saloon
- taproom
- watering hole
- watering place
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
a seedy section of the city's waterfront that was rife with cheap taverns, tattoo parlors, and run-down flophouses a colonial-era tavern that has been serving weary travelers for two and a half centuries
Recent Examples on the Web Izakayas -- Japan's version of a pub or tavern -- were particularly hard hit, with the latest available figures showing sales halved from 2019 to 2020, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. 
Jessie Yeung, CNN, 18 Aug. 2022 Just ten minutes from downtown Charleston is Post House, a seaside tavern and inn that blends historic charms with modern amenities in Mount Pleasant. Monica Mendal, Vogue, 8 Aug. 2022 To buy tickets, go to the tavern’s website, fatlittlebuddies.com. cleveland, 24 July 2022 At dinner, diners will learn more about the creation of the Brewhouse and Old World’s plans to open a brewer’s garden, biergarten and a 1930s tavern moved from Old Ashippun in the next two years. Elaine Rewolinski, Journal Sentinel, 11 July 2022 Health officials in South Africa have announced that the 21 teenagers who collapsed in a crowded tavern in June died of suffocation. Melissa Noel, Essence, 7 Sep. 2022 In the eastern city of Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal province, gunmen opened fire in a tavern in the Sweetwaters area late Saturday night, killing four people, before speeding away in a small vehicle, said police. Mogomotsi Magome, ajc, 11 July 2022 The shooting in the Soweto bar comes two weeks after 21 teenagers were found dead in a tavern in the city of East London. Fox News, 10 July 2022 The bar shootings come two weeks after 21 teenagers were found dead in a tavern in the city of East London. Mogomotsi Magome, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2022 See More
Jessie Yeung, CNN, 18 Aug. 2022 Just ten minutes from downtown Charleston is Post House, a seaside tavern and inn that blends historic charms with modern amenities in Mount Pleasant. Monica Mendal, Vogue, 8 Aug. 2022 To buy tickets, go to the tavern’s website, fatlittlebuddies.com. cleveland, 24 July 2022 At dinner, diners will learn more about the creation of the Brewhouse and Old World’s plans to open a brewer’s garden, biergarten and a 1930s tavern moved from Old Ashippun in the next two years. Elaine Rewolinski, Journal Sentinel, 11 July 2022 Health officials in South Africa have announced that the 21 teenagers who collapsed in a crowded tavern in June died of suffocation. Melissa Noel, Essence, 7 Sep. 2022 In the eastern city of Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal province, gunmen opened fire in a tavern in the Sweetwaters area late Saturday night, killing four people, before speeding away in a small vehicle, said police. Mogomotsi Magome, ajc, 11 July 2022 The shooting in the Soweto bar comes two weeks after 21 teenagers were found dead in a tavern in the city of East London. Fox News, 10 July 2022 The bar shootings come two weeks after 21 teenagers were found dead in a tavern in the city of East London. Mogomotsi Magome, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English taverne, from Anglo-French, from Latin taberna hut, shop
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
tavern
noun
tav·ern ˈta-vərn
1
: a place where beer and liquor are sold and drunk
2
: inn
taverns
noun
1
as in pubs
a place of business where alcoholic beverages are sold to be consumed on the premises a seedy section of the city's waterfront that was rife with cheap taverns, tattoo parlors, and run-down flophouses Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- pubs
- cafes
- saloons
- bars
- nightclubs
- cafés
- barrooms
- cabarets
- cantinas
- taprooms
- alehouses
- bistros
- dramshops
- roadhouses
- watering places
- speakeasies
- brewpubs
- watering holes
- grogshops
- public houses
- gin mills
- joints
- sports bars
- dives
- wineshops
- bottle clubs
- package stores
- barrelhouses
2
as in hotels
a place that provides rooms and usually a public dining room for overnight guests a colonial-era tavern that has been serving weary travelers for two and a half centuries Synonyms & Similar Words
- hotels
- hostels
- inns
- hostelries
- motels
- campgrounds
- auberges
- caravansaries
- hospices
- lodges
- caravanserais
- lodgings
- caravanserai
- public houses
- accommodations
- guesthouses
- resorts
- spas
- boardinghouses
- dormitories
- bed-and-breakfasts
- apartment hotels
- flophouses
- dorms
- motor inns
- tourist courts
- rests
- camps
- bunkhouses
- youth hostels
- courts
- motor courts
- motor lodges
- lodging houses
- rooming houses
- B and Bs
- fleabags
- doss-houses