cafeteria
Americannoun
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a restaurant in which patrons wait on themselves, carrying their food to tables from counters where it is displayed and served.
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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.
noun
Etymology
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, -ier 2
Explanation
A cafeteria is a restaurant where you serve yourself, then pay a cashier. Most schools have a cafeteria serving up sloppy joes and square pizza. "Let's go to the cafeteria!" usually means "Let's eat!" Most people think of school cafeterias, but they can exist elsewhere — a lot of Ikea stores actually have cafeterias for the customers. Cafeteria-style refers to any restaurant where you grab what you want and then pay for it before eating. Cafeterias usually aren't known for having the best food in the world, so if you have another option, go for it.
Vocabulary lists containing cafeteria
"Journeys," Vocabulary from Lesson 26
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Cuisine
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Week 3 Spelling
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As if California were to suddenly become akin to Enver Hoxha’s Albania and Brin would be forced to take meals of beetroot and groats in the collective’s cafeteria.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 1, 2026
Debbie worked in the school cafeteria in fourth and fifth grade so she could eat free when her dad was on strike.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026
Do they sort of sidle up to you in the elevator and say, “Good job”? Or do they ignore you in the cafeteria and hope that this passes?
From Slate • May 12, 2026
Other unions — including those that represent school clerical workers, plant and cafeteria managers, building trades workers and school police — settled their contracts previously.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
I glance toward the cafeteria where Nyla had the party the night before.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
