vestibule

noun

ves·​ti·​bule ˈve-stə-ˌbyül 

1

a

: a passage, hall, or room between the outer door and the interior of a building : lobby

b

: an enclosed entrance at the end of a railway passenger car

2

: any of various bodily cavities especially when serving as or resembling an entrance to some other cavity or space: such as

a

: the central cavity of the bony labyrinth of the inner ear or the parts (such as the saccule and utricle) of the membranous labyrinth that it contains

b

: the part of the left ventricle below the aortic orifice

c

: the space between the labia minora containing the orifice of the urethra

d

: the part of the mouth cavity outside the teeth and gums

3

: a course that offers access (as to something new)

vestibuled

ˈve-stə-ˌbyüld 

adjective

Synonyms

• entranceway
• entry
• entryway
• foyer
• hall
• hallway
• lobby

Examples of vestibule in a Sentence

please leave your wet boots in the vestibule

Recent Examples on the Web

The Mondrian from the family’s vestibule is expected to be the auction’s top lot with a high estimate that is expected to top the $51 million record for a similar painting set in 2022. —Zachary Small, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025

The goal was to make the court a destination rather than a vestibule. —Justin Davidson, Curbed, 23 Jan. 2025

The vestibules are also designed to be reinforced with hiking poles during particularly rough, windy conditions. —New Atlas, 23 Apr. 2025

In the elevator vestibule, a set of circa 1740 botanical prints by Johann Wilhelm Weinmann hangs on walls covered in a Fabricut wool. —David Foxley, Architectural Digest, 20 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin vestibulum forecourt

First Known Use

1726, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing vestibule

• vestibule school

Rhymes for vestibule

• minuscule
• molecule
• overrule
• poiseuille
• reticule
• ridicule
• ampoule
• bascule
• carpool
• cesspool
• ferrule
• footstool

Kids Definition

vestibule

noun

ves·​ti·​bule ˈves-tə-ˌbyü(ə)l 

: a hall or room between the outer door and the inside part of a building

Medical Definition

vestibule

noun

ves·​ti·​bule ˈves-tə-ˌbyül 

: any of various bodily cavities especially when serving as or resembling an entrance to some other cavity or space: as

a(1)

: the central cavity of the bony labyrinth of the ear

(2)

: the parts of the membranous labyrinth comprising the utricle and the saccule and contained in the cavity of the bony labyrinth

b

: the space between the labia minora containing the orifice of the urethra

c

: the part of the left ventricle of the heart immediately below the aortic orifice

d

: the part of the mouth cavity outside the teeth and gums