noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˈɹəʊdˌhaʊs/
General-American:/ˈɹoʊdˌhaʊs/
CMU ARPABET:R OW1 D HH AW2 S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
An inn or similar establishment situated beside a road beyond the jurisdiction of a town or city. In the centuries before motor vehicles, such inns were places for travellers to stop at night during multi-day journeys, besides being public houses for their local countryfolk.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US
Examples
Near-synonym: coaching inn (often synonymous, historically)
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: coaching inn
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: inn, hotel, house
2
noun
Meaning 2
A receiving house.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, theater
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A truck stop located in a remote area, with basic accommodation facilities.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Australia
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
an inn (usually outside city limits on a main road) providing meals and liquor and dancing and (sometimes) gambling
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
