dive bar
noun
plural dive bars
: an unpretentious and usually inexpensive bar that caters especially to regular clientele
… the people I drink and listen to music with tend to gather … at favored dive bars where the music and ambiance suit our taste and demographic. … These joints are never sleek or swank, but are places that are nonjudgmental … and are open late.—
Anthony Bourdain
Anthony BourdainThis hole-in-the-wall dive bar is easy to miss, nestled between an unassuming pizza joint and a 7-Eleven.—Oset Babur
Oset BaburIf you headed out for the night to get a few drinks with friends and you all decided to go to a dive bar, how absurd would it be if one of your buddies then started complaining about the lack of artisanal snacks and vintage cocktails on the menu?—Michael Walsh
Michael WalshExamples of dive bar in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ray’s The upscale dive bar plays it loose, with a disco ball, a pool table, beer and craft cocktails.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
Ray’s An upscale dive bar with a disco ball and a pool table, Ray’s serves beer and craft cocktails in a setting that draws a younger, of-the-moment celebrity crowd.
—Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 May 2026
Ray’s The upscale dive bar leans into the contradiction — disco ball, pool table, beer and craft cocktails.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 1 May 2026
One person was gravely injured and another arrested after a crash that also damaged an iconic Minneapolis dive bar on Thursday.
—Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026
Recently it's gotten attention for a lively restaurant and bar scene—don't miss Gracie's Apizza and dive bar Slim's.
—Hannah Wallace, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Apr. 2026
Meeting up with my friends and fiancé at a local dive bar in Washington, DC, answering progressively trickier questions about geography, science, history, politics and my favorite, pop culture – what wasn't there to like?
—David Oliver, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
No festivals, no Lilith Fairs — not even a random dive bar on a drunken night out in the ’90s.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2026
Ryan remembers playing dive bars and having to ask bartenders to turn off the beer fridge because the hum was louder than their whole show.
—Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 24 Apr. 2026
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Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
Ray’s An upscale dive bar with a disco ball and a pool table, Ray’s serves beer and craft cocktails in a setting that draws a younger, of-the-moment celebrity crowd.
—Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 May 2026
Ray’s The upscale dive bar leans into the contradiction — disco ball, pool table, beer and craft cocktails.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 1 May 2026
One person was gravely injured and another arrested after a crash that also damaged an iconic Minneapolis dive bar on Thursday.
—Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026
Recently it's gotten attention for a lively restaurant and bar scene—don't miss Gracie's Apizza and dive bar Slim's.
—Hannah Wallace, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Apr. 2026
Meeting up with my friends and fiancé at a local dive bar in Washington, DC, answering progressively trickier questions about geography, science, history, politics and my favorite, pop culture – what wasn't there to like?
—David Oliver, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
No festivals, no Lilith Fairs — not even a random dive bar on a drunken night out in the ’90s.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2026
Ryan remembers playing dive bars and having to ask bartenders to turn off the beer fridge because the hum was louder than their whole show.
—Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dive bar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dive%20bar. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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