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juke house

juke house

9.8
A small informal place where people eat, drink, and dance to jukebox music
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒuːk haʊs/
  • Informal
translation icon : bar
  • We spent Saturday night at the local juke house, dancing and listening to blues.

Examples

  • That old juke house at the crossroads serves the most amazing fried catfish.

  • Many famous musicians got their start performing in a juke house before making it big.

  • We went to the juke house last night.

  • The juke house was packed with people dancing.

  • We spent Saturday night at the local juke house, dancing and listening to blues.

  • That old juke house at the crossroads serves the most amazing fried catfish.

  • Many famous musicians got their start performing in a juke house before making it big.

Synonyms

juke
vsjuke house
  • Informal
7 9.9

A small roadside bar where people eat, drink, and dance to a jukebox

is similar but not limited to roadside locations
juke joint
vsjuke house
  • Informal
4 9.5

A small informal place in the southern United States where people eat, drink, and dance to blues from a jukebox

is the more general name for the same roadside social venue
honkytonk
vsjuke house
  • US
1 9.8

A cheap bar or dance hall where people dance to country music

is more about everyday jukebox dance venues rather than country music focus
jook house
vsjuke house
  • Archaic
9.9

A small place in the southern United States where people eat, drink, and dance to jukebox music

is like that but not specifically linked to one community
jook joint
vsjuke house
  • Archaic
9.9

A small lively place in the southern United States where people eat, drink, and dance to music

is more plainly informal and roadside rather than rustic or rough
jook
vsjuke house
  • Archaic
9.9

A small roadside bar in the southern United States with music and dancing

is a small informal establishment rather than specifically a club or bar
record hop
vsjuke house
  • Archaic
8.6

An informal dance for teenagers where people play popular songs from records

is a place for eating, drinking, and dancing rather than a one-off party

How Lively

nightclub
172 1.6
juke house
  • Informal
9.8
bar
1.0
cafe
206 1.0
tearoom
4 3.0

Surface Forms

juke house singular
juke houses plural

Morphology

juke + house

If a learner knows 'juke' (a small southeastern US bar with a jukebox and dancing) and 'house' (a building or venue), they can directly infer that a 'juke house' is a place for juke-related music/dancing. The compound follows normal English noun+noun composition and is therefore compositionally transparent despite its regional cultural flavor.

Etymology

Juke house may come from an old Southern word juke, written as 'jook', which meant 'to dance' or 'have a noisy party'. Because house means a place, a juke house was a small, lively spot with music, food and dancing, so the name now means 'a small, informal place to eat, drink, and dance'.