pantry

American  

[pan-tree] / ˈpæn tri /

noun

• pantries
  plural

1. a room or closet in which food, groceries, and other provisions, or silverware, dishes, etc., are kept.

2. a room between the kitchen and dining room in which food is arranged for serving, glassware and dishes are stored, etc.

3. food pantry. a shelter or other place where food is dispensed to people experiencing food insecurity, either as groceries or as meals.

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pantry British  

/ ˈpæntrɪ /

noun

1. a small room or cupboard in which provisions, cooking utensils, etc, are kept; larder

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pantries
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of pantry

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English panetrie, from Anglo-French; Old French paneterie “bread room,” equivalent to panet(er) “to bake bread” (derivative of pan “bread,” from Latin pānis ) + -erie noun suffix; see -ery

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Explanation

A pantry is an area in or near a kitchen where food is stored. When you buy a hundred boxes of macaroni and cheese that are on sale, you'll need to make room in the pantry for them. Not every kitchen has a pantry, a dedicated space for storing food and other supplies. In some cases a pantry is a closet or cupboard with shelves, and sometimes a pantry is an entirely separate room adjacent to the kitchen. The Anglo-French source of pantry, panetrie, means "bread room," from the Medieval Latin panataria, "room of a servant in charge of food or bread." The Latin root, panis, means "bread."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pantry pantries

The kitchen has multiple ovens, a sizable walk-in pantry, and a large island with plenty of storage and room to dine.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

The 42-year-old from Swansea said she was brought up to have "a rotating pantry" to give herself a safeguard for emergencies, including growing her own food and preserving it.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026

In fact, part of the proceeds from the “Helena” tribute and Ghouls’ Day Out goes to help the church’s food pantry.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

Crates of tinned food sit in a pantry ready to be shipped off to local food banks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

He walks into the small pantry just off the kitchen where the washing machine rumbles and canned goods that never get eaten line the shelves.

From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers

Oasis Hub Bath, which opened in the city centre in 2018, has two affordable food pantries that support around 600 people each week.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Some officers are taking on second jobs or relying on donations, union officials say, while several major airports are collecting gift cards and stocking food pantries for TSA staff struggling without pay.

From Barron's ● Mar. 21, 2026

They can buy 10 of an item on sale because they have both the liquid capital and the physical space—large pantries or even second freezers—to store it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026

On the ground level, this means community volunteer efforts like neighborhood environmental cleanups, helping food pantries distribute sustenance to families in need and volunteers assisting underfunded local libraries.

From Salon ● Dec. 20, 2025

Lots of TV shows, games of Scrabble, and plentiful food from the pantries that showed up everywhere.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

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Related Words

• cellar
• closet
• cupboard

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