From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpublicanpub‧li‧can /ˈpʌblɪkən/ noun [countable] British English formalBODL someone who is in charge of a pub SYN landlord
Examples from the Corpus
publican• A publican had to make sure that the gift was not too obvious.• Almost three-quarters of the male labour force were manual workers and most of the non-manual workers were shopkeepers and publicans.• Leading hoteliers, publicans and restaurateurs will converge at the Kings Hall, Balmoral, to choose new wines for their customers.• As a result, publicans are finding they needed to offer something extra to attract custom.• The Licensed Vintners Association, which represents Ireland's publicans, has told members to provide disinfectant for rural pubs.• He tore it up, and they all remained good friends until the day the publican died.• They took one look at the group of adamant women and ordered the publican to complete the round.• Watch Committees were organized to keep an eye on prostitution and the granting of licences to publicans. 