Meaning & use
nitery
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Meanings
nouncountableinformalold-fashionedAmerican
An old-fashioned word for a nightclub, especially one with music and dancing.
Grammar: Countable: you can say a nitery or several niteries.
Patterns
- a crowded nitery
- play at a nitery
The saxophonist spent the summer playing at a small nitery near the waterfront.
In those days a smart nitery on the edge of town drew crowds every weekend.
nouncountableinformalold-fashioned
A place where people go at night to drink, dance, and watch live entertainment.
Grammar: Countable and usually used with an or the when a particular place is meant.
Patterns
- a downtown nitery
- run a nitery
Her grandfather ran a downtown nitery that stayed open until dawn.
The old photographs show singers posing outside a glamorous nitery.
Word forms
| plural | niteries |
|---|
Common combinations
- a crowded nitery
- The band could barely move in the crowded nitery.
- play at a nitery
- He played at a nitery every Friday night that winter.
- a downtown nitery
- A new downtown nitery opened just off the main square.
- run a nitery
- Her uncle ran a nitery for almost twenty years.
- a smoky nitery
- They met in a smoky nitery where jazz was played all night.
Synonyms and how they differ
- nightclub
- This is the normal modern word and fits almost any context; nitery is dated and mainly found in old stories.
- club
- Shorter and more general, and it can also mean other kinds of club, so it is less precise than nitery.
- cabaret
- Refers to the show or the venue with stage performances; nitery stresses the late-night drinking and dancing.
- dive
- Informal and disapproving for a cheap, shabby bar; nitery carries no such judgment.
Word family
Commonly confused: nitery or notary?
nitery vs notary
A notary is an official who certifies documents; it sounds similar to nitery but has nothing to do with nightclubs.
Practice
Which sentence uses "nitery" correctly?
Choose one answer.
"Nitery" means a nightclub, so dancing until late fits. The other options describe a notary, a bakery, and a garage, which are different words and places.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nitery”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.