watering hole

noun

1

: water hole sense 1

2

: a place where people gather socially

especially : watering place sense 3

Synonyms

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

Examples of watering hole in a Sentence

supposedly, that Broadway hangout was the favorite watering hole for 1940s celebrities

Recent Examples on the Web

The play examines this fallout, and the tensions that follow, through a group of steel tubing workers gathering in a local watering hole where conflicts abound amid the rampant loss of identity and career, much of the conflicts falling along racial lines. —David John Chávez, Mercury News, 9 June 2025

These many watering holes are reflective of the Lone Star state's varied geographic regions, from bald cypress swamps to mountainous desert lakes. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 31 May 2025

The fourth watering hole that picked up confirmed her husband was there, heavily intoxicated. —Devon Ivie, Vulture, 29 Apr. 2025

Most Popular Longtime watering hole in historic CT building up for sale. —Marc D Grasso, Hartford Courant, 12 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1776, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for watering hole

• arteriole
• levamisole
• amphibole
• asystole
• buttonhole
• casserole
• centriole
• decontrol
• glycerol
• metropole
• monopole
• multipole