Do you know the definition of cabaret? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word cabaret, including its definition, etymology, usage, example sentences, and more!

What does the word cabaret mean?

According to Collins English Dictionary and the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, the word cabaret is a noun that refers to a form of live entertainment, often performed in a restaurant or nightclub. The word cabaret is three syllables – cab-a-ret, and the pronunciation of cabaret is ˈkæbəˌreɪ.

These short programs of live entertainment are from European origins, such as the famous Moulin Rouge in Paris, France. They will probably have a cover charge for the light entertainment as well as payment required for a good meal. The show might be hosted by an MC or master of ceremonies and feature a form of entertainment such as a pianist, someone on drums, improvisations, an ensemble of actors, a series of acts in which performers dance like a musical cabaret, singers, a solo vocalist, dancers, a tap-room, musicians, comedians performing political satire, a floor show of dancing, a jazz club performance, and more. According to Britannica, these type of restaurant and type of entertainment were started in the 1930s as the centres of leftist opposition to the rise of the German Nazi Party and often experienced Nazi retaliation for their criticism of the government. The patrons were adult audiences and could come to these clubs in Berlin or anywhere else to drink alcohol, watch such entertainment, and be intimate with others.

There are many different languages that also use words that mean cabaret. You may notice that some of these translations look and sound similar to the word cabaret. These cognates are often formed when two words of different languages share a common origin, such as Latin or Greek. This list of translations of cabaret is provided by Word Sense.

Italian: cabaret‎ (masc.)
Georgian: კაბარე‎
Galician: cabaré‎ (masc.)
Esperanto: kabareto‎, kabaredo‎
Swedish: kabaré‎ (common)
Thai: คาบาเร่ต์‎
Asturian: cabaré‎ (masc.)
Japanese: キャバレー‎ (kyabarē)
Bulgarian: кабаре́‎ (neut.)
Portuguese: cabaré‎ (masc.), cabaret‎ (masc.)
Polish: kabaret‎ (masc.)
Armenian: կաբարե‎
Russian: кабаре́‎
Slovene: kabarét‎ (masc.)
Czech: kabaret‎ (masc.)
Dutch: cabaret‎ (neut.)
Estonian: kabaree‎
Finnish: kabaree‎
Arabic: كَبَارِيه‎ (masc.)
Catalan: cabaret‎ (masc.)
French: cabaret‎ (masc.)
Albanian: kabare‎
Belarusian: кабарэ́‎ (neut.)
Ukrainian: кабаре́‎ (neut.)
Spanish: cabaré‎ (masc.), cabaret‎ (masc.)
Persian: کاباره‎ (kâbâre)
Greek: καμπαρέ‎ (neut.)
Mandarin: 卡巴萊‎, 卡巴莱‎ (kǎbālái)
Korean: 카바레‎
Danish: kabaret‎ (common)
Ido: kabareto‎
German: Kabarett‎ (neut.), (Austria, also) Kabaret‎ (neut.)

What are synonyms and antonyms of cabaret?

There are many different words that can be used in place of the word cabaret. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same definition as another word or phrase. Synonyms are useful to know if you are trying to avoid repeating yourself or if you are simply looking to expand your vocabulary! This list of synonyms is provided by Power Thesaurus.

burlesque
bistro
discotheque
cafe
entertainment
nitery
floor show
dinner theater
barroom
vaudeville show
dive
eatery
revue
bar
supper club
performance
stage show
lunchroom
floorshow
buffet
nightclub act
disco
saloon
music hall
coffee shop
alehouse
tavern
show
coffeehouse
café
night club
tv show
nightclub entertainment
roadhouse
vaudeville
nightclub
theater
clubs
public house
pub
honky-tonk
clip joint
nightspot
peep show
speakeasy
drag shows
comedians
club
night spot
variety show
restaurant
gin mill

What is the origin of the word cabaret?

According to Etymonline, the word cabaret has been used since c17 and comes from the French cabaret, a c13 word. This word may come from the Middle Dutch cambret, Middle Dutch cabret, Old North French camberette, Old French camberete, or French diminutive of cambre, from the Late Latin word camera meaning an arched roof.

What are the lyrics to “Cabaret”?

Below are the lyrics to the famous song “Cabaret” by Liza Minella, from the 1972 film directed by Bob Fosse, from Genius.

What good is sitting alone in your room?

Come hear the music play

Life is a cabaret, old chum

Come to the Cabaret

Put down the knitting, the book and the broom

It’s time for a holiday

Life is a cabaret, old chum

Come to the Cabaret

Come taste the wine

Come hear the band

Come blow a horn, start celebrating

Right this way, your table’s waiting

What good’s permitting some prophet of doom

To wipe every smile away

Life is a cabaret, old chum

So come to the Cabaret!

I used to have a girlfriend known as Elsie

With whom I shared four sordid rooms in Chelsea

She wasn’t what you’d call a blushing flower…

As a matter of fact, she rented by the hour

The day she died the neighbors came to snicker:

“Well, that’s what comes from too much pills and liquor!”

But when I saw her laid out like a Queen

She was the happiest corpse I’d ever seen

I think of Elsie to this very day

I remember how she’d turn to me and say

“What good is sitting all alone in you room?

Come hear the music play

Life is a cabaret, old chum

Come to the Cabaret!”

And as for me, and as for me

I made my mind up back in Chelsea

When I go

I’m going like Elsie

Start by admitting from cradle to tomb

It isn’t that long a stay

Life is a cabaret, old chum

It’s only a cabaret, old chum

And I love a cabaret!

Overall, the word cabaret means a small room or small tavern that provides both food and entertainment. This word is French in origin.

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Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.