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
Greg Evans, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
Elsewhere on the project, Bowlin, aided by producer David Ferguson (Tyler Childers, Sturgill Simpson), moves between honky-tonk-laden melodies and murder ballads, sometimes even dipping his toe into the sphere of alternative rock.
—Chris Barilla, PEOPLE, 11 Apr. 2026
Fort Worth knows a thing or two about live music, Western heritage and a good honky-tonk.
—Lauren Schuster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2026
Broadway and Downtown deliver the classic honky-tonk energy — think a live-music-heavy, country version of a nonstop party strip.
—Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
Middle Of Nowhere, her follow-up to 2024’s Deeper Well, due out this spring, finds new inspiration on familiar roads of heartbreak, hope, and healing, still dealing in honky-tonk wisdom with open-hearted grit.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 23 Mar. 2026
There are also two honky-tonk hopefuls from Nashville.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
As evening falls, the crowd drifts downtown to the Blue Moon Saloon, a honky-tonk that resembles a back porch more than a concert venue.
—Phil Thomas, Travel + Leisure, 1 Feb. 2026
The record is heavy on Ketchum’s baritone vocals and electric honky-tonk sound that helped the Train Robbers gain a fanbase in the Pacific Northwest since their 2017 debut, Gravel.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
Producers then planned to move the show into a vacant 42nd Street building that once housed New York’s Playboy Club, but after extensive renovations that turned the venue into a working Nashville-style honky-tonk bar, the run was scotched days before previews were to begin last March.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
Elsewhere on the project, Bowlin, aided by producer David Ferguson (Tyler Childers, Sturgill Simpson), moves between honky-tonk-laden melodies and murder ballads, sometimes even dipping his toe into the sphere of alternative rock.
—Chris Barilla, PEOPLE, 11 Apr. 2026
Fort Worth knows a thing or two about live music, Western heritage and a good honky-tonk.
—Lauren Schuster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Apr. 2026
Broadway and Downtown deliver the classic honky-tonk energy — think a live-music-heavy, country version of a nonstop party strip.
—Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
Middle Of Nowhere, her follow-up to 2024’s Deeper Well, due out this spring, finds new inspiration on familiar roads of heartbreak, hope, and healing, still dealing in honky-tonk wisdom with open-hearted grit.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 23 Mar. 2026
There are also two honky-tonk hopefuls from Nashville.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Feb. 2026
As evening falls, the crowd drifts downtown to the Blue Moon Saloon, a honky-tonk that resembles a back porch more than a concert venue.
—Phil Thomas, Travel + Leisure, 1 Feb. 2026
The record is heavy on Ketchum’s baritone vocals and electric honky-tonk sound that helped the Train Robbers gain a fanbase in the Pacific Northwest since their 2017 debut, Gravel.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Honky-tonk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/honky-tonk. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
