kitchen

American  

[kich-uhn] / ˈkɪtʃ ən /

noun

1. a room or place equipped for cooking.

   The apartment has a full kitchen with an oven and dishwasher.

2. the staff involved in food preparation in a restaurant or eatery.

   He called the kitchen to make sure they could accommodate his allergies.

3. culinary department; cuisine.

   This restaurant has a fine Italian kitchen.

4. the equipment and fixtures needed to make a room suitable for cooking.

   We bought a kitchen, but it still needs to be installed.

5. Sports. (on a pickleball court) a seven-foot zone on either side of the net from which players are prohibited from returning the ball before it hits the ground.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or designed for use in a room equipped for cooking.

   There's a view of the yard from the kitchen window.

   We got a new, more colorful set of kitchen curtains.

2. employed in or assigned to a place or business that makes food.

   Kitchen staff and volunteers worked together to feed over 500 food-insecure people.

kitchen British  

/ ˈkɪtʃɪn /

noun

1. 1. a room or part of a building equipped for preparing and cooking food

   2. ( as modifier )

      a kitchen table

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kitchen Idioms  

1. see everything but the kitchen sink; if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

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Other Word Forms

• kitchenless
  adjective
• kitcheny
  adjective
• outkitchen
  noun

Etymology

Origin of kitchen

First recorded before 1000; Middle English kichene, Old English cycene ≪ Latin coquīna, equivalent to coqu(ere) “to cook” + -īna -ine ¹; cf. cuisine

Explanation

People always hang out in the kitchen at a party because a kitchen is where the food is. Restaurants have kitchens too, but only the kitchen staff hangs out in there. A kitchen is a room that’s meant for cooking. Whether you're making a four-course meal or microwave popcorn, the kitchen is where the magic happens. Schools, hospitals, and restaurants have kitchens. The word kitchen can also be used as an adjective. Guess where the kitchen cabinets are? If someone says you’ve packed everything but the kitchen sink, your suitcase is overflowing. And you should totally go back and get that sink. The Old English root of kitchen is from the Vulgar Latin cocina, rooted in coquere, "cook."

Example Sentences

The project is led by Rebecca Green, founder of the Okehampton Community Kitchen and Foodbank, who said she believed the model was a first in the UK.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

Goop Kitchen says its top locations make $20,000 a day each.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

Sauces like Lemon Garlic Aioli and Spicy Chili Truffle will roll out under a new Minor’s Kitchen brand, inspired by an existing one for professional chefs, Nestlé said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Other rooms downstairs include the B-Movie Bathroom, ’Naynay’s Kitchen of Progress and the ’80s & ’90s Food Culture Hall of Fame dining room, which is illuminated by a Pizza Hut pendant.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

I nodded, and looked around awkwardly because we were standing outside Kitchen Kapers, in the middle of the mall, having a Moment.

From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller

Related Words

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