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bartender

bartender

330 2.0
A person who mixes and serves drinks at a bar or restaurant
  • noun
  • /ˈbɑːrˌtɛndər/
translation icon : barman
  • Bartender, can I get a Perrier and a soda?
  • bartender served drinks
  • work as a bartender
  • bartender at the bar

You know, you say to the bartender, I want a beer.

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Examples

  • Along with drinks, the bartender eventually served up a question: What do you folks do?

    Academic text (2007)
  • You know, you say to the bartender, I want a beer.

  • And the bartender says, OK, buddy.

  • -The bartender gave us free shots.

  • Chris Morgan is currently working as a bartender.

  • Well, while I was in college, I did a stint as a bartender.

  • At the bar, Sayer tries to get the attention of a young bartender busy mixing drinks.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • "Bring me another Scotch," said the man next to me, as the bartender wiped up the spill.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • We've got a resident bartender here who's just amazing.

  • The bartender skillfully mixed a cocktail for the customer at the bar.

Synonyms

barkeep
vsbartender
  • Informal
20 6.3

A person who serves and mixes alcoholic drinks at a bar

is the neutral standard term rather than the casual form
barmaid
vsbartender
  • UK
14 2.3

A woman who serves drinks at a bar or pub

is gender-neutral rather than female-specific
barman
vsbartender
  • UK
9 2.4

A man who works behind a bar serving and mixing drinks

is a gender-neutral term rather than male-specific
mixologist
vsbartender
4 7.6

A person who makes and serves drinks with alcohol, often creating new cocktails

is the general job title covering ordinary mixing and serving
barkeeper
vsbartender
  • US
1 2.9

A person who mixes and serves alcoholic drinks at a bar

is the more usual modern term for that role
tapster
vsbartender
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A person who serves beer and other drinks in a pub or inn

is broader and not limited to drawing from casks
tapper
vsbartender
  • Archaic
1 9.1

A person who pours beer from kegs to serve people

focuses on general mixing and serving rather than barrel drawing
beer wench
vsbartender
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A woman who serves beer in a pub, often wearing a costume

is a neutral job term not limited to beer or costume roles
bar star
vsbartender
  • Informal
7.8

A bartender who is very good at making drinks and attracts many customers

is the regular job title without fame or special prestige
shotmaker
vsbartender
  • Informal
7.5

A person who makes and serves shots at a bar or party

covers making and serving all kinds of drinks rather than shots only

How Skilled

mixologist
4 7.6
bartender
330 2.0
barmaid
  • UK
14 2.3

Surface Forms

bartender singular
bartenders plural

Morphology

bartender = bar + tender (transparent) = bar + tender

The meaning is directly derivable from 'bar' + 'tender'—a person who tends a bar—using standard word-formation.

Etymology

Bartender joins bar and tender, where tender used to mean 'one who looks after' (think of a gardener), so a bartender is the person who 'looks after' the bar and serves drinks.