Word.ws English Dictionary

honky tonk

honky tonk is the alternative form of honky-tonk.

Meaning of honky-tonk

Noun

honky-tonk (countable and uncountable, plural honky-tonks)

  1. (US) A bar or nightclub that caters to Southern patrons and provides country music for entertainment.
    • But I made a vow to the moon and stars / That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars / And kill that man who gave me that awful name1969, Shel Silverstein, “A Boy Named Sue”, performed by Johnny Cash
  2. (dated) Any cheap nightclub.
  3. (dated, uncountable) The type of music typically played in such a club.
  4. (uncountable) A style of country music emphasizing traditional country instruments (e.g., guitar, steel guitar and fiddle); a rough, nasal vocal style; and tragic themes such as heartbreak, infidelity and alcoholism often associated with patrons of honky-tonks.

See all 5 meanings of honky-tonk

Forms of honky tonk

pluralhonky tonks

Questions about honky tonk

What is honky tonk the alternative form of?
Honky tonk is the alternative form of honky-tonk.

Words near honky tonk in the dictionary

  1. Honkong
  2. honks
  3. honks it on
  4. honks off
  5. honky
  6. honky tonk
  7. honky tonk-like
  8. honky tonker
  9. honky tonkers
  10. honky tonks
  11. honky-tonk

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: honky tonk (page history and authors); honky-tonk (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “honky tonk.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/honky_tonk. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.