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Synonyms

honky-tonk

American  
[hong-kee-tongk, hawng-kee-tawngk] / ˈhɒŋ kiˌtɒŋk, ˈhɔŋ kiˌtɔŋk /

noun

  1. a cheap, noisy, and garish nightclub or dance hall.

adjective

  1. Also honky-tonky of, relating to, or characteristic of a honky-tonk.

    a honky-tonk atmosphere.

  2. characterized by or having a large number of honky-tonks.

    the honky-tonk part of town.

  3. Music. noting a style of ragtime piano-playing characterized by a strict two-four or four-four bass, either contrapuntal or chordal, and a melody embellished with chords and syncopated rhythms, typically performed on a piano whose strings have been muffled and given a tinny sound.

verb (used without object)

  1. to visit or frequent honky-tonks.

honky-tonk British  
/ ˈhɒŋkɪˌtɒŋk /

noun

  1. slang

    1. a cheap disreputable nightclub, bar, etc

    2. ( as modifier )

      a honky-tonk district

  2. a style of ragtime piano-playing, esp on a tinny-sounding piano

  3. a type of country music, usually performed by a small band with electric and steel guitars

  4. ( as modifier )

    honky-tonk music
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • honky-tonker noun

Etymology

Origin of honky-tonk

1890–95, rhyming compound based on honk

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This year, the venture expanded with a new location five times the size of the original in the heart of American honky-tonk: Nashville.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025

In more recent history, New Yorkers seeking a honky-tonk experience have flocked to the divey Skinny Dennis in Williamsburg, which opened in 2013.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025

You won't find him on Broadway or in the city's famous honky-tonk music bars.

From BBC • Oct. 18, 2025

He’s kicking off the KFM Karaoke Country Revue, a monthly celebration where honky-tonk culture meets the queer community to toast, twang and tumble through songs like old friends in a Garth Brooks ballad.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2025

When the main crowd of worshipers reached the short bridge spanning the pond, the ragged sound of honky-tonk music assailed them.

From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.