vestibule

noun

ves·​ti·​bule ˈve-stə-ˌbyül How to pronounce vestibule (audio)
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 adjective

Examples of vestibule in a Sentence

please leave your wet boots in the vestibule
Recent Examples on the Web The man, however, was unable to make it through the second set of doors and remained in the vestibule, Boyd said. Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 23 Feb. 2024 Photos show the vestibule and chapel after decades of restoration work. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 14 Feb. 2024 The vestibule opens into the central chapel, a square room adorned with four pillars and decorations everywhere. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 14 Feb. 2024 Spence pulled open the vestibule’s door and fired one shot at Powell, according to video shown at trial. Cassidy Jensen, Baltimore Sun, 1 Feb. 2024 Two of the mice had gotten cornered somewhere in the vestibule. Jesse Ball, Harper's Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024 When a city-wide power outage hits and the rest of the gang gathers at Monica’s apartment, Chandler is superbly on his own, trapped in an ATM vestibule with Jill Goodacre, who at the time was a high-profile Victoria’s Secret model. Yvonne Villarreal, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2023 On evenings around dinnertime, my vestibule is often full of justifiably angry food-delivery people whose customers can’t figure out how to let them inside. Curbed, 11 Jan. 2024 The vestibule is devoted to an extensive high-tech backpack collection: his only consumerist passion is an unequivocally nerdy one. Laura Kipnis, WIRED, 5 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vestibule.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin vestibulum forecourt

First Known Use

1726, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of vestibule was in 1726

Dictionary Entries Near vestibule

Cite this Entry

“Vestibule.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vestibule. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

vestibule

noun
ves·​ti·​bule ˈves-tə-ˌbyü(ə)l How to pronounce vestibule (audio)
: 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 How to pronounce vestibule (audio)
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on vestibule

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