inn

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: an establishment for the lodging and entertaining of travelers
b
: tavern
2
: a residence formerly provided for British students in London and especially for students of law

inn

2 of 2

verb

inned; inning; inns

intransitive verb

: to put up at an inn

Examples of inn in a Sentence

Noun We stayed at a cozy little inn in the country. we decided to stay at an inn rather than keep driving all night
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Hob Knob This classic New England inn in a 19th-century house in Edgartown has been accommodating guests for a century (including, in the 1940s, the Kennedy family). Jennifer Wilson, Travel + Leisure, 25 Apr. 2024 Between that project, their residential work for clients, and managing three other homes in the Hearth Hospitality collection, the duo has found little time to finish their own homes, which are both more contemporary than the inn. Christine Lennon, Sunset Magazine, 8 Apr. 2024 But people are still calling — even offering to pay for a spot on the inn’s back deck or its parking lot, owner Beverly Burgess said. Abha Bhattarai, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024 Brianna Maitland was eager to get some rest after her shift washing dishes at an upscale Vermont inn on the evening of March 19, 2004. Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 25 Mar. 2024 The inn is minutes from the dance hall, downtown Fredericksburg, and the Texas wine trail. Stacey Leasca, Southern Living, 28 Feb. 2024 The dozen rooms at this Arts and Crafts-style inn balance modern comfort with period charm. Jackie Burrell, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024 After a day enjoying Lake Michigan's most pristine beaches, rest your head at one of the adorable inns or bed-and-breakfasts in town. Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 5 Apr. 2024 Two years later, on August 23, 1628, John Felton, a disgruntled lieutenant who’d served in a disastrous military expedition led by George, stabbed the 35-year-old duke to death at an inn in Portsmouth. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
Verb
But in Thompson’s comments — and surely inn the conversation with Kerr that preceded them — there was just as much retrospection as introspection. Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 3 Jan. 2024 Gallen seemed relatively pleased, though he was bothered by the length of his first-inning at-bat against 1B Brandon Belt, who fell behind 0-2 before eventually bouncing out to second. Nick Piecoro, azcentral, 24 Feb. 2020 Strasburg, Scherzer and Corbin all appeared in relief; Strasburg’s October started with a crucial three-inning relief outing in a comeback win over Milwaukee in the wild-card game on Oct. 1. Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 16 Feb. 2020 The Giants stayed close, thanks to a first-inning two-run homer by Kevin Pillar, his 20th of the season. Jeff Faraudo, The Mercury News, 1 Sep. 2019 The top of the order then finished the state championship-clinching damage when Sills singled home the second run and Golden, who ripped doubles with his second and fourth-inning at-bats, used his first two-bagger to up the lead to 4-0. Robert Avery, Houston Chronicle, 24 July 2019 Eloy Jimenez just missed hitting a home run on the second pitch of his fourth-inning at-bat Sunday against Kyle Hendricks, pulling the ball foul down the left-field line. Lamond Pope, chicagotribune.com, 7 July 2019 Entering his fourth-inning at-bat on an 0-for-14 skid, Cuthbert powered a Hector Santiago sinker over the wall in left, contributing his first home run since Aug. 20 of last season. Jesse Newell, kansascity, 29 Apr. 2018 Mark Canha’s seventh-inning home run provided the winning margin and Marcus Semien collected two hits. Sporting Green Staff, SFChronicle.com, 27 Mar. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inn.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old Norse inni dwelling, inn, Old English in, adverb

First Known Use

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of inn was in the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near inn

Cite this Entry

“Inn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inn. Accessed 1 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

inn

noun
ˈin
: a public house that provides lodging and food for travelers : hotel

Geographical Definition

Inn

geographical name

river 320 miles (515 kilometers) long flowing from southeastern Switzerland northeast through Austria into the Danube River in southeastern Germany see engadine

More from Merriam-Webster on inn

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