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

Examples of dive bar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The band was an outlier at the grimy local country and bluegrass dive bar CBGB (the members had to convince owner Hilly Kristal to book them). — Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2026

An archangel ends up in a grungy dive bar in a new indie horror movie. — William Earl, Variety, 6 Nov. 2026

The restaurant has a tropical dive bar feel, with plenty of diner favorites reimagined like a custardy Thai tea babka, French toast, and a signature Thai Diner egg sandwich made with Isan-style sausage wrapped in a plush roti. — Ali Domrongchai, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Nov. 2026

After spending much of his late 20s and early 30s in traditional English pubs, Teti also noticed the lack of a real dive bar in the city – a staple in the US. — Thomas Schlachter, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1974, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dive bar

• abattoir
• alcazar
• autocar
• avatar
• belshazzar
• caviar
• caviare
• cinnabar
• commissar
• condylar
• deodar
• handlebar