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

Examples of tavern in a Sentence

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

The regular inspections include restaurants, taverns, grocery stores, meat markets and bakeries. —Ashley Fredde, Idaho Statesman, 8 Apr. 2025

Be sure to keep an eye out as the windmill atop the tavern is engulfed in flames several times an hour. —Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2025

Keep an eye out for the tavern’s blades to burst into flames throughout the day, pending weather, like the stream of fire emitted by the dragon atop Gringott’s in the Wizarding Worlds of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida. —Samantha Neely, USA Today, 6 Apr. 2025

The taverns were packed before the game as the schedule-makers doled out a gift to Wrigleyville with a Friday afternoon start. —Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025

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

Rhymes for tavern

• cavern

Kids Definition

tavern

noun

tav·​ern ˈtav-ərn 

1

: an establishment where alcoholic liquors are sold to be drunk on the premises

2

: inn