a country club

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A private club outside a city where members play golf, tennis, and other sports and socialize.

   Grammar: Countable: use a/an or the, and the plural is country clubs.

   Patterns

   • join a country club
   • at a country club
   • a country club membership

   My uncle belongs to a country club and plays golf there every weekend.

   They held their wedding reception at a country club with a large garden.

   Membership at a country club can cost thousands of dollars a year.

2. 2nouncountable

   The building or grounds used by such a club, often with a dining room and swimming pool.

   Grammar: Countable; often used with at or to when talking about the place.

   Patterns

   • at the country club
   • go to the country club
   • the country club's dining room

   We spent the afternoon at the country club, swimming and having lunch.

   The country club has a new tennis court and a bigger parking lot.

   She works as a chef at a country club near Boston.

Word forms

Common combinations

join a country club

He decided to join a country club to meet new people.

country club membership

Country club membership includes access to the golf course.

at the country club

They had dinner at the country club last night.

exclusive country club

The exclusive country club has a long waiting list.

Synonyms and how they differ

golf club

A golf club is mainly for playing golf; a country club usually offers more sports and social activities.

resort

A resort is open to paying guests, while a country club is usually private and for members.

Word family

country clubber noun

A person who frequently uses a country club; informal and not common.

Commonly confused: a country club or nightclub?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “a country club”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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