repaire
/ʁə.pɛʁ/
The French word for a hangout (meaning a place for hanging out or an informal meeting-place) is repaire.
repaire is used to refer to a hangout, but it often carries a connotation of a place where people gather secretly or where people with bad intentions might hide. If you want to suggest meeting someone socially, you might use the term Rendez-vous for an appointment or Soirée to describe an evening event or party. To express the act of getting together with friends for a casual hangout, you can use the informal expression se retrouver, which means to meet up or to meet again.
Meaning: place for hanging out, an informal meeting-place (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word repaire literally means a den, lair or a hideout used by animals or criminals.
Which one should you use?
While repaire implies a secretive or unofficial hangout, you should use lieu de rendez-vous when referring to a neutral or planned meeting place.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ʁə.pɛʁ/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The word repaire is a doublet of repère, which means a 'landmark' or 'reference point'. While they sound similar, one describes a hidden den and the other a visible marker.
- In French literature, a repaire is frequently the setting for gothic or noir tropes, serving as a lair for villains rather than a cozy spot for friends.
Examples in context
- Allons traîner dans notre repaire.Let's hang out at our hangout.This sentence is useful for practicing how to use repaire to describe a place to hang out.Tatoeba #503549 by qdii, translation #503548 by FeuDRenais
- Le FBI a secrètement truffé de micros le repaire du bandit.The FBI secretly bugged the mobster's hangout.This sentence shows how repaire can be used to describe a criminal's hideout.Tatoeba #570096 by sacredceltic, translation #560343 by darinmex
- Je vais me retrouver avec mes amis ce soirI'm going to hang out with my friends tonight
- C'est notre petit repaire habituel.It's our usual little hangout.
Example conversation
Manon and Nathan are talking about where to meet.
- ManonOn se retrouve dans ton repaire ?Shall we meet at your hangout?
- NathanOui, c'est plus calme que le centre-ville.Yes, it's quieter than downtown.
- ManonParfait, j'arrive dans dix minutes.Perfect, I'll be there in ten minutes.
- NathanD'accord, à tout â laisse !Okay, see you soon!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry repaire, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries repaire, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
