Word.ws English Dictionary

Synonyms of publican

10 similar words

Another word for publican is licensee. Other synonyms of publican are hotelier.

Synonyms and similar words for publican

nounThe landlord (manager or owner) of a public house (“a bar or tavern, often also selling food and...

  • alekeepAn alekeeper.
  • alekeeperAn alehouse-keeper, a person who operates an alehouse; a tavernkeeper, an alekeep.
  • licensed victuallerA person who has a licence to sell alcoholic liquor either on or off the premises; a publican.
  • licenseeA publican (because a license is needed to run a pub).
  • tavernerSomeone who owns or runs a tavern.
  • tavernkeepA tavernkeeper.
  • tavernkeeperOne who keeps a tavern.
  • ale-draper obsoleteAn alehouse keeper or publican.
  • bung obsolete, slang

nounThe manager or owner of a hotel.

  • hotelierSomeone who owns or runs a hotel.

Meaning of publican

  1. noun The landlord (manager or owner) of a public house (“a bar or tavern, often also selling food and sometimes lodging; a pub”).
  2. noun The manager or owner of a hotel.
  3. noun A tax collector, especially one working in Judea and Galilee during New Testament times (1st century C.E.) who was generally regarded as sinful for extorting more tax than was due, and as a traitor for serving the Roman Empire.

Full definition of publican

publican in other languages

Questions about synonyms of publican

What is another word for publican?
Publican has 10 synonyms on Word.ws, such as licensee and hotelier.
What does publican mean?
Publican means the landlord (manager or owner) of a public house (“a bar or tavern, often also selling food and sometimes lodging; a pub”).

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: publican (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “Synonyms of publican.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/publican. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.