dive bar
noun
plural dive bars
: an unpretentious and usually inexpensive bar that caters especially to regular clientele
… the people I drink and listen to music with tend to gather … at favored dive bars where the music and ambiance suit our taste and demographic. … These joints are never sleek or swank, but are places that are nonjudgmental … and are open late.—
Anthony Bourdain
Anthony BourdainThis hole-in-the-wall dive bar is easy to miss, nestled between an unassuming pizza joint and a 7-Eleven.—Oset Babur
Oset BaburIf you headed out for the night to get a few drinks with friends and you all decided to go to a dive bar, how absurd would it be if one of your buddies then started complaining about the lack of artisanal snacks and vintage cocktails on the menu?—Michael Walsh
Michael WalshExamples of dive bar in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Bass High School was redeveloped into Bass Lofts, a three-story structure that sits in a bohemian neighborhood known for vintage clothing stores, dive bars and record shops.
—Stacker, Boston Herald, 18 May 2026
In a social media video, which has amassed nearly 300,000 views, Johnston calls Beaufort's Fillin' Station, located at 57 Sea Island Parkway, one of her favorite dive bars in the world.
—Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 13 May 2026
It’s been less than a decade since the thrift stores, dive bars, and live-music venues on North 6th Street vanished to make room for a Nolita-like mix of indie boutiques and DTC mini-chains like Buck Mason, Everlane, and Warby Parker.
—Anne Kadet, Curbed, 12 May 2026
The Lost Oldenburg — from 2012, shot at Marvin’s, the city’s legendary dive bar — paid homage to Billy Wilder’s The Lost Weekend.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
Bungalows sit alongside vintage shops, dive bars and farm-to-table restaurants, attracting a crowd that values walkability and personality over uniformity.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 11 May 2026
For Boise dive bar connoisseurs, the new BoDo tenant’s name could be slightly thorny.
—Michael Deeds
updated May 5, Idaho Statesman, 5 May 2026
Ray’s The upscale dive bar plays it loose, with a disco ball, a pool table, beer and craft cocktails.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
Ray’s An upscale dive bar with a disco ball and a pool table, Ray’s serves beer and craft cocktails in a setting that draws a younger, of-the-moment celebrity crowd.
—Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 May 2026
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Stacker, Boston Herald, 18 May 2026
In a social media video, which has amassed nearly 300,000 views, Johnston calls Beaufort's Fillin' Station, located at 57 Sea Island Parkway, one of her favorite dive bars in the world.
—Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 13 May 2026
It’s been less than a decade since the thrift stores, dive bars, and live-music venues on North 6th Street vanished to make room for a Nolita-like mix of indie boutiques and DTC mini-chains like Buck Mason, Everlane, and Warby Parker.
—Anne Kadet, Curbed, 12 May 2026
The Lost Oldenburg — from 2012, shot at Marvin’s, the city’s legendary dive bar — paid homage to Billy Wilder’s The Lost Weekend.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
Bungalows sit alongside vintage shops, dive bars and farm-to-table restaurants, attracting a crowd that values walkability and personality over uniformity.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 11 May 2026
For Boise dive bar connoisseurs, the new BoDo tenant’s name could be slightly thorny.
—Michael Deeds
updated May 5, Idaho Statesman, 5 May 2026
Ray’s The upscale dive bar plays it loose, with a disco ball, a pool table, beer and craft cocktails.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
Ray’s An upscale dive bar with a disco ball and a pool table, Ray’s serves beer and craft cocktails in a setting that draws a younger, of-the-moment celebrity crowd.
—Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dive bar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dive%20bar. Accessed 29 May. 2026.
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