hon·ky-tonk
ˈhäŋ-kē-ˌtäŋk 
ˈhȯŋ-kē-ˌtȯŋk
1
: a usually tawdry nightclub or dance hall
especially
: one that features country music
2
: a district marked by places of cheap entertainment
3
: country music that has a heavy beat and lyrics dealing usually with vice or misfortune
1
: of, used in, or being a form of ragtime piano playing performed typically on an upright piano
2
: marked by or characteristic of honky-tonks
Examples of honky-tonk in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 12 Nov. 2025
The four-story, pre-Civil War structure is transformed into a joint record shop, honky-tonk, music venue and private speakeasy.
—Hadley Hitson, Nashville Tennessean, 10 Nov. 2025
British pubs and a Korean honky-tonk Fifty years ago, a fortune teller told Mama Kim to open a country and western bar in Seoul.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
Tootsie Bess opened iconic honky-tonk Tootsies in 1960, while JesseLee Jones’ legendary Robert’s Western World landed in 1999.
—Leena Tailor, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
In April 2024, Wallen was arrested after throwing a chair off the sixth-story roof of Eric Church’s new bar and honky-tonk, Chief’s, in downtown Nashville.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
The group dined Friday at The Twelve Thirty Club, a honky-tonk and supper club co-owned by Justin Timberlake, according to social media posts by Swift fans in Nashville.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2025
When work dried up in Paris, Riley returned to San Francisco and to his old job playing honky-tonk piano in a saloon.
—William Robin, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2025
Spend an evening in East Austin to two-step at a honky-tonk or toast with friends over award-winning cocktails.
—Amanda Ogle, Travel + Leisure, 23 Aug. 2025
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Adjective
The first floor features a honky-tonk with two bars and two stages (including the original stage of Ernest Tubb’s Midnite Jamboree), as well as photos of Tubb with his fellow country stars.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 12 Nov. 2025
The four-story, pre-Civil War structure is transformed into a joint record shop, honky-tonk, music venue and private speakeasy.
—Hadley Hitson, Nashville Tennessean, 10 Nov. 2025
British pubs and a Korean honky-tonk Fifty years ago, a fortune teller told Mama Kim to open a country and western bar in Seoul.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
Tootsie Bess opened iconic honky-tonk Tootsies in 1960, while JesseLee Jones’ legendary Robert’s Western World landed in 1999.
—Leena Tailor, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2025
In April 2024, Wallen was arrested after throwing a chair off the sixth-story roof of Eric Church’s new bar and honky-tonk, Chief’s, in downtown Nashville.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
The group dined Friday at The Twelve Thirty Club, a honky-tonk and supper club co-owned by Justin Timberlake, according to social media posts by Swift fans in Nashville.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2025
When work dried up in Paris, Riley returned to San Francisco and to his old job playing honky-tonk piano in a saloon.
—William Robin, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2025
Spend an evening in East Austin to two-step at a honky-tonk or toast with friends over award-winning cocktails.
—Amanda Ogle, Travel + Leisure, 23 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Honky-tonk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/honky-tonk. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
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