Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bistro

/ˈbiːstɹoʊ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.05 in modern English

Syllables: bistro
IPA: /ˈbiːstɹoʊ/

8

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A small casual restaurant or pub, typically serving French-style cuisine.

verb

To eat at a bistro.

Example Sentences

"Now, a coalition of bistro owners, unions and trade organizations is lobbying to get Unesco to grant Paris's sidewalk bistros and cafes official status as France's "intangible cultural heritage.""
"The rule that Christmas preparations should wait until after Thanksgiving doesn't apply to Hugue Dufour and his wife, Sarah Obraitis, the owners of M. Wells, a Québécois bistro in Long Island City."

Etymology

Attested from c. 1920, from the French bistro(t) with the original meaning "proprietor of a tavern" (1880s), of unknown origin, presumably regional French dialect. See the French etymology for more.

Origin

Source language: French

Word Breakdown

Root: bistro

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈbiːstɹoʊ/
British English: /ˈbiːstɹəʊ/

Inflected Forms

bistros (plural) bistrot (alternative) bistros (present, singular) bistroing (participle, present) bistroed (participle, past) bistroed (past)

Derived Forms

bistronomy

Phrases

fast food

Frequently Paired Words

fast food

Synonyms

alehouse boozer boozing ken bousing ken drinker drinkery gargle-factory gin joint groggery local nineteenth hole pot-house

Rhymes With

distro

Questions

How do you pronounce bistro?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbiːstɹoʊ/.
What does bistro mean?: A small casual restaurant or pub, typically serving French-style cuisine.
Where does bistro come from?: It is traced to French.

How to pronounce bistro

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “bistro”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈbiːstɹoʊ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “bistro”.
Repeat and practice — Say “bistro” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.