What does "roadhouse" mean?

An inn or similar establishment situated beside a road beyond the jurisdiction of a town or city. In the centuries before motor vehicles, such inns were places for travellers to stop at night during multi-day journeys, besides being public houses for their local countryfolk.

What is a synonym for "roadhouse"?

Common synonyms include: alehouse, amusement park, ballroom, bar, boardinghouse, cabaret.

How do you pronounce "roadhouse"?

Pronounced //ˈɹəʊdˌhaʊs//.

Roadhouse

//ˈɹəʊdˌhaʊs// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
An inn or similar establishment situated beside a road beyond the jurisdiction of a town or city. In the centuries before motor vehicles, such inns were places for travellers to stop at night during multi-day journeys, besides being public houses for their local countryfolk. US
"Near-synonym: coaching inn (often synonymous, historically)"
2
an inn (usually outside city limits on a main road) providing meals and liquor and dancing and (sometimes) gambling wordnet
3
A receiving house.
4
A truck stop located in a remote area, with basic accommodation facilities. Australia

Synonyms

All synonyms

alehouse amusement park ballroom bar boardinghouse cabaret

Example

More examples

"Near-synonym: coaching inn (often synonymous, historically)"

Etymology

From road + house.

Related phrases

honky tonk

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.