drunk tank
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
A cell where people who have been arrested for public drunkenness are detained until they are sober.
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
[I]f you're honest enough you might end up in the drunk-tank 15 or 20 times and lose a few jobs and a wife or 2 or maybe slug somebody in the streets and sleep on a park bench now and then […].
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “drunk tank” mean?
A cell where people who have been arrested for public drunkenness are detained until they are sober.
Is “drunk tank” formal or informal?
drunk tank is generally slang.