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

This hole-in-the-wall dive bar is easy to miss, nestled between an unassuming pizza joint and a 7-Eleven.

—Oset Babur

If 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

Word History

First Known Use

1974, in the meaning defined above