vestibule

noun

ves·​ti·​bule ˈve-stə-ˌbyül 

1

a

: a passage, hall, or room between the outer door and the interior of a building : lobby

b

: an enclosed entrance at the end of a railway passenger car

2

: any of various bodily cavities especially when serving as or resembling an entrance to some other cavity or space: such as

a

: the central cavity of the bony labyrinth of the inner ear or the parts (such as the saccule and utricle) of the membranous labyrinth that it contains

b

: the part of the left ventricle below the aortic orifice

c

: the space between the labia minora containing the orifice of the urethra

d

: the part of the mouth cavity outside the teeth and gums

3

: a course that offers access (as to something new)

vestibuled

ˈve-stə-ˌbyüld 

adjective

Synonyms

• entranceway
• entry
• entryway
• foyer
• hall
• hallway
• lobby

Examples of vestibule in a Sentence

please leave your wet boots in the vestibule

Recent Examples on the Web

Beyond the intimate vestibule entrance, 22-foot ceilings soar over a massive great room that spills out onto a covered patio and a swimming pool with mesmerizing mountain vistas. —Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 28 Oct. 2024

As the unruliness grew, ticket sales abruptly stopped and one of Combs’ associates grabbed the cash box and fled with the head of his security team into the small lobby and down to the gym, pulling the vestibule doors closed behind them as patrons tried to follow behind. —Dan Morrison, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024

With second-degree heart blocks, some signals from the atria (upper chambers of the heart) do not reach the vestibules (lower chambers). —Mark Gurarie, Verywell Health, 2 Oct. 2024

The rain fly provides two equal vestibules at either door. —Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 6 Mar. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Latin vestibulum forecourt

First Known Use

1726, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing vestibule

• vestibule school

Kids Definition

vestibule

noun

ves·​ti·​bule ˈves-tə-ˌbyü(ə)l 

: a hall or room between the outer door and the inside part of a building

Medical Definition

vestibule

noun

ves·​ti·​bule ˈves-tə-ˌbyül 

: any of various bodily cavities especially when serving as or resembling an entrance to some other cavity or space: as

a(1)

: the central cavity of the bony labyrinth of the ear

(2)

: the parts of the membranous labyrinth comprising the utricle and the saccule and contained in the cavity of the bony labyrinth

b

: the space between the labia minora containing the orifice of the urethra

c

: the part of the left ventricle of the heart immediately below the aortic orifice

d

: the part of the mouth cavity outside the teeth and gums