divan

noun

di·​van di-ˈvan  ˈdī-ˌvan 

 especially in senses 1, 2, and 4 also  di-ˈvän,

dī-ˈvan

1

a

: the privy council of the Ottoman Empire

b

: council

2

: a council chamber

3

: a large couch usually without back or arms often designed for use as a bed

4

: a collection of poems in Persian or Arabic usually by one author

Synonyms

• couch
• sofa

Examples of divan in a Sentence

whenever I stayed over at their house I usually slept on the divan in the living room

Recent Examples on the Web

There was our grandmother’s porch at night, on the wood divan, beneath the mosquito net softly sighing, cicadas lighting up the village with their sound. —Aysegül Savas, Literary Hub, 8 July 2025

Victorian fainting couches, rattan divans, or an Elvis-image lacquered toilet seat? —Jenny Adams, AFAR Media, 11 Feb. 2025

The 23-foot-long cabin interior features plenty of passenger perks, too, like an integrated cabin management system with a controller, a 3-D moving map, improved audio and mood lighting, and a side-facing divan that passengers can convert into a bed. —Daniel Cote, Robb Report, 26 Dec. 2024

Victorian fainting couches, rattan divans, or an Elvis-image lacquered toilet seat? —Jenny Adams, AFAR Media, 11 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Turkish, from Persian dīvān account book

First Known Use

1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for divan

• afghan
• bedpan
• began
• caveman
• chapin
• crankpin
• cyan
• deadpan
• dextran
• doorman
• fishman
• flagman

Kids Definition

divan

noun

di·​van di-ˈvan  ˈdī-ˌvan 

: a large couch often with no back or arms