publican

noun

pub·​li·​can ˈpə-bli-kən 

1

a

: a Jewish tax collector for the ancient Romans

b

: a collector of taxes or tribute

2

chiefly British : the licensee of a public house

Examples of publican in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

McDowell grew up as the son of a publican, who ran a pub called the Bull and Dog in Lancashire, England. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 10 Feb. 2025

One popular activity was taking selfies with Wayne Jones, the Turf Hotel’s publican, a touring member of the summer jolly. —Amos Barshad, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2023

The mystifying rejection weighs heavily on Pádraic at the bar, where questions about his friend’s absence from the publican, Jonjo (Pat Shortt), rub salt into the wound. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Sep. 2022

In British usage, a publican is someone who owns a pub. —Julie Carr Smyth, chicagotribune.com, 27 Feb. 2021

In the kitchen there was Rob, the publican, who had basically given up cooking, and Andy, a northerner who was miserable and really the guy in charge of the kitchen. —Dan Hunter, Bon Appetit, 5 May 2017

Word History

Etymology

Middle English puplican, publican, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin pūblicānus "contractor for public works, tax farmer," from pūblicum "contractual assignment to private persons of tax collection or other public works" (noun derivative from neuter of pūblicus public entry 1) + -ānus -an entry 1

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

publican

noun

pub·​li·​can ˈpəb-li-kən 

: a tax collector for the ancient Romans