saloon

noun

sa·​loon sə-ˈlün 

1

a

chiefly British : salon sense 1

b

chiefly British : an often elaborately decorated public hall

c(1)

: a usually large public cabin on a ship (as for dining)

(2)

: the living area on a yacht

d

chiefly British : salon sense 4

e

: barroom

2

: salon sense 2

3

British

a

: parlor car

b

: sedan sense 2a

called also saloon car

Synonyms

• bar
• barroom
• café
• cafe
• cantina [Southwest]
• dramshop
• gin mill
• grogshop [chiefly British]
• pub
• public house [chiefly British]
• taproom
• tavern
• watering hole
• watering place

Example Sentences

cowboys drinking in the saloon after their work was done for the day

Recent Examples on the Web

The blue jay, on the other hand, blows into town like a Wild West gunslinger entering a saloon – everybody scatters. —Robert Klose, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Mar. 2023

Fort Worth was the last chance to stop for supplies and rest, and maybe even to pay a visit to a saloon or brothel. —Tamara Gane, Chron, 29 Apr. 2023

Los Alamos This quirky town founded in 1876 is bursting with Western heritage — most notably 1880 Union Hotel, a private event space, inn and saloon which looks ripped right out of Tarantino’s Hateful Eight. —Elycia Rubin, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2023

The bar, almost the length of a city block, might have been modeled on one of the grand 19th-century hotel saloons where Jerry Thomas poured Blue Blazers. —Pete Wells, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2023

Taproom has wild west theme, so dress up in cowboy duds and enjoy wild west photo booth, mechanical bull, design your own cowboy hat pop-up, specialty saloon and more. —Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 19 June 2022

It was built in 1890 as a Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co. saloon, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society. —Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 6 Dec. 2022

There’s no second chance in this saloon. —Billboard Staff, Billboard, 16 Nov. 2022

But Ash Fork’s buffet was most certainly a saloon. —Douglas C. Towne, The Arizona Republic, 8 July 2022

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Word History

Etymology

French salon, from Italian salone, augmentative of sala hall, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German sal hall; akin to Lithuanian sala village

First Known Use

1728, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

saloon

noun

sa·​loon sə-ˈlün 

1

: a public room for socializing especially on a ship

2

: barroom