cafeteria

[ kaf-i-teer-ee-uh ]

/ ˌkæf ɪˈtɪər i ə /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for cafeteria on Thesaurus.com

noun

a restaurant in which patrons wait on themselves, carrying their food to tables from counters where it is displayed and served.

a lunchroom or dining hall, as in a factory, office, or school, where food is served from counters or dispensed from vending machines or where food brought from home may be eaten.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of cafeteria

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40; from Latin American Spanish cafetería “café,” Spanish cafeter(a) “coffeemaker,” from French caf(f)etière (equivalent to café + etière feminine of -ier ); t apparently by analogy with words such as bouquetière “flower seller,” from bases ending in t ) + -ía;see origin at coffee, -ier²

Words nearby cafeteria

café curtain, café filtre, café noir, café royale, café society, cafeteria, cafeteria benefit, cafeteria plan, cafeteria-style, cafetiere, cafetorium

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cafeteria in a sentence

In the cavernous high school cafeteria, Judy and the board sat before the socially distanced attendees.
Two School Districts Had Different Mask Policies. Only One Had a Teacher on a Ventilator.|by Annie Waldman and Heather Vogell|November 23, 2020|ProPublica
The buffet adds the feel of a hospital cafeteria, the people dining look close to death or knowingly waiting to die.
Fast-Food Buffets Are a Thing of the Past. Some Doubt They Ever Even Existed.|MM Carrigan|September 29, 2020|Eater
Yes, someone tells me — an all-you-can-eat Taco Bell existed in her dorm cafeteria.
Fast-Food Buffets Are a Thing of the Past. Some Doubt They Ever Even Existed.|MM Carrigan|September 29, 2020|Eater
Over a number of years, the company took over so much office space—even repurposing an entire building to serve as its corporate cafeteria—that some in Silicon Valley complained it had “sucked the life out of the startup ecosystem in Palo Alto.”
Why Palantir’s departure won’t doom Silicon Valley|Michal Lev-Ram, writer|August 27, 2020|Fortune

There are also outdoor hallways and outdoor cafeteria space that many other districts don’t have on such a widespread scale.
Morning Report: How the City Botched 101 Ash St. Deal|Voice of San Diego|July 31, 2020|Voice of San Diego
He swaggered into the school cafeteria that day with a .22 caliber handgun and started shooting randomly.
How To Plan A Jailbreak|Seth Ferranti|September 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
La Teresita also has an adjoining cafeteria where you can head for an informal buffet and heaping piles of Cuban delicacies.
Eat Your Way Through Tampa’s Cuban Oasis|Starbucks|July 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Once inside the school cafeteria, which served as an antechamber, each candidate had his own booth.
The Bizarro World Of Iowa’s GOP Convention|Ben Jacobs|June 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Maybe Rutgers should add more vegan selections to its cafeteria fare.
My Commencement Speech to Rutgers’ Geniuses: Go Forth and Fail|P. J. O’Rourke|May 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 2012 a St. Louis school cafeteria worker, Dianne Brame, was fired for giving food to a fourth-grader who had no money.
Government Has Made America Inept|Philip K. Howard|May 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While the roboticist puffed, Mike let his gaze wander idly over the other people in the cafeteria.
Unwise Child|Gordon Randall Garrett
There is provided a cafeteria at which the children can purchase at a small cost their noonday meal.
The Journal of Negro History, Volume 5, 1920|Various
I ate my dinner at the hospital cafeteria after work each night and had TV dinners or ate out on the weekends.
The Biography of a Rabbit|Roy Benson
Got some cakes and a little ice-cream in the bottom of a freezer from the company cafeteria.
White Fire|Roy J. Snell
It is said that in time they acquire a cafeteria shuffle which one can detect even on the street.
Vignettes Of San Francisco|Almira Bailey

British Dictionary definitions for cafeteria

cafeteria

/ (ˌkæfɪˈtɪərɪə) /

noun

a self-service restaurant

Word Origin for cafeteria

C20: from American Spanish: coffee shop

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

cafeteria

Origin of cafeteria

Words nearby cafeteria

Words related to cafeteria

How to use cafeteria in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cafeteria

Word Origin for cafeteria