Meaning & use
public accommodation
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablelegallawAmerican
A place or business that is open to the general public, such as a hotel, restaurant, or store, especially when the law requires it to serve everyone equally.
Grammar: Countable; often used in the plural when talking about many such places: public accommodations.
Patterns
- a public accommodation
- public accommodations
- access to public accommodations
The law says that hotels, restaurants, and theaters are public accommodations and must not discriminate.
She filed a complaint after being refused service at a public accommodation.
Under the Civil Rights Act, public accommodations must serve customers regardless of race.
noununcountablelegallaw
The legal right or category of being a place that must serve the public without unfair treatment.
Grammar: Uncountable when referring to the legal status or concept: the law of public accommodation.
Patterns
- the law of public accommodation
- public accommodation laws
The state has strong public accommodation laws that protect LGBTQ customers.
The court decided that the website was not a public accommodation under the statute.
Public accommodation law requires equal access to services.
Word forms
| plural | public accommodations |
|---|
Common combinations
- public accommodation law
- Public accommodation law prohibits discrimination in hotels and restaurants.
- public accommodations and services
- The act covers public accommodations and services operated by private entities.
- access to public accommodations
- People with disabilities fought for better access to public accommodations.
- deny service at a public accommodation
- It is illegal to deny service at a public accommodation because of someone's religion.
Synonyms and how they differ
- public facility
- A broader term for any building or service provided by the government or open to the public, not necessarily covered by anti-discrimination law.
- place of public resort
- An older British legal phrase for places the public frequents; now rare and not used in modern US law.
Word family
- accommodate verb
- To provide what someone needs, such as a room or a service.
- accommodating adjective
- Willing to help or adjust to someone's needs.
- accommodation noun
- A place to stay or an arrangement that meets a need.
Commonly confused: public accommodation or accommodation?
public accommodation vs accommodation
In British English, 'accommodation' often means a place to live or stay. 'Public accommodation' is a US legal term for businesses open to the public, not housing.
Practice
Which of the following is an example of a public accommodation under US law?
Choose one answer.
A hotel is a business open to the public and is a classic public accommodation. A private home is not open to the public, a government office is a public entity (not a private accommodation), and a private club is usually exempt.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “public accommodation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.