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Synonyms

pub

1 American  
[puhb] / pʌb /

noun

  1. a bar or tavern.

pub. 2 American  

abbreviation

  1. public.

  2. publication.

  3. published.

  4. publisher.

  5. publishing.

pub. 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. public

  2. publication

  3. published

  4. publisher

  5. publishing

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
pub 2 British  
/ pʌb /

noun

  1. Formal name: public house.  a building with a bar and one or more public rooms licensed for the sale and consumption of alcoholic drink, often also providing light meals

  2. a hotel

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. informal (intr) to visit a pub or pubs (esp in the phrase go pubbing )

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of pub

First recorded in 1855–60; short for public house

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Wolf Alice, winning best group, used their allotted stage time to make a plea for the "pubs, clubs and grassroots venues where we quite literally learned to play our instruments and write our songs".

From BBC

After winning their award for best group, Wolf Alice's singer Ellie Roswell spoke up for small independent artists and venues, noting that 30 pubs and clubs had closed in the last year.

From BBC

After his degree, he returned to Bagillt and worked part-time in construction and a pub.

From BBC

Earlier in 2025 it announced the closure of 10 bars across the UK, including its flagship pub in Aberdeen.

From BBC

As Ibrahima ran away, they chased him into the car park of the Fairway Inn pub.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.