Meaning & use
barmaid
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableold-fashioned
A woman whose job is to serve drinks to customers across the bar in a pub or similar place.
Grammar: Countable and specific to women; many people now prefer bartender or bar staff.
Patterns
- work as a barmaid
- a barmaid at a pub
She worked as a barmaid in a village pub during college.
The barmaid pulled him a pint and chatted about the football.
A cheerful barmaid greeted every regular by name.
Word forms
| plural | barmaids |
|---|
Common combinations
- work as a barmaid
- My aunt used to work as a barmaid in Glasgow.
- friendly barmaid
- A friendly barmaid recommended the local ale.
- pub barmaid
- The pub barmaid knew everyone in the village.
- barmaid at
- She was a barmaid at the Red Lion for two years.
- former barmaid
- The author is a former barmaid who now writes novels.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bartender
- Bartender is gender-neutral and the normal American word, so it is usually the safer choice today.
- bar staff
- Bar staff refers collectively to the people serving drinks and avoids mentioning gender at all.
- server
- Server is broader and may include people who bring food as well as drinks.
- publican
- A publican runs or owns a pub, which is different from a barmaid who only serves there.
Word family
- bar noun
- the counter or place where drinks are served
- barman noun
- a man who serves drinks
- bartender noun
- a person of any gender who serves at a bar
- maid noun
- an old word for a girl or woman servant
Commonly confused: barmaid or bartender?
barmaid vs bartender
Bartender is gender-neutral, while barmaid names a woman and can sound outdated.
Practice
The pub's ___ pulled three pints of ale and slid them across the counter.
Choose one answer.
A barmaid serves drinks at a bar. A bridesmaid, handmaid and milkmaid are other compounds ending in maid but have different jobs or roles.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “barmaid”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.