chiefly Ireland and South Africa
: an unlicensed or illegally operated drinking establishment
Examples of shebeen in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The fourth floor was filthy, residents said, with people tossing trash out the windows while others ran shops and illicit bars called shebeens from their rooms.
—
Lynsey Chutel, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2023
Explore See latest videos, charts and news Amapiano, the musical movement that gained much of its popularity during the lockdowns in South Africa, pours out onto the streets and dancefloors in shebeens, taverns and any other place with a sound system in a cathartic deluge.
—Seretse Letswalo, Billboard, 28 Mar. 2023
Outside a shebeen, a lean-to bar common here, a group of men sit on a bench in the mid-afternoon sun.
—Peter Rudden, CNN, 3 May 2021
For the benefit of patrons who may have entered the shebeen late, Greitens is accused of carrying on with a woman to whom he is not married.
—Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 8 Feb. 2018
The shebeen queens were some of the most powerful people in the community.
—Beth J. Harpaz, chicagotribune.com, 1 Mar. 2018
Rhythms of Zulu, Xhosa, Tswana; lyrics of township romances, girls sashaying to get water, rowdy shebeens.
—The Economist, 1 Feb. 2018
It was outlawed by the authorities, so the brew itself--and the culture of drinking it in shebeens [illicit bars or clubs], while dancing and singing--became a form of resistance.
—Pelican Bomb, NOLA.com, 17 Jan. 2018
The Committee was worried this week that the news was so damned grim that finding a Top Commenter of the Week would be a slog through the shebeen’s collective neuroses, which are many and varied.
—Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 26 Jan. 2018
Lynsey Chutel, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2023
Explore See latest videos, charts and news Amapiano, the musical movement that gained much of its popularity during the lockdowns in South Africa, pours out onto the streets and dancefloors in shebeens, taverns and any other place with a sound system in a cathartic deluge.
—Seretse Letswalo, Billboard, 28 Mar. 2023
Outside a shebeen, a lean-to bar common here, a group of men sit on a bench in the mid-afternoon sun.
—Peter Rudden, CNN, 3 May 2021
For the benefit of patrons who may have entered the shebeen late, Greitens is accused of carrying on with a woman to whom he is not married.
—Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 8 Feb. 2018
The shebeen queens were some of the most powerful people in the community.
—Beth J. Harpaz, chicagotribune.com, 1 Mar. 2018
Rhythms of Zulu, Xhosa, Tswana; lyrics of township romances, girls sashaying to get water, rowdy shebeens.
—The Economist, 1 Feb. 2018
It was outlawed by the authorities, so the brew itself--and the culture of drinking it in shebeens [illicit bars or clubs], while dancing and singing--became a form of resistance.
—Pelican Bomb, NOLA.com, 17 Jan. 2018
The Committee was worried this week that the news was so damned grim that finding a Top Commenter of the Week would be a slog through the shebeen’s collective neuroses, which are many and varied.
—Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 26 Jan. 2018
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shebeen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Irish síbín illicit whiskey, shebeen
First Known Use
circa 1787, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near shebeen
Cite this Entry
“Shebeen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shebeen. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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