restaurant
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of restaurant
An Americanism first recorded in 1820–30; from French, noun use of present participle of restaurer, from Latin restaurāre “to restore, reestablish”; cf. re- ( def. ), store
Compare meaning
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Explanation
A restaurant is a place — usually inside a building — where you go to eat food, which, most of the time, you must pay for. Restaurant comes from the French restaurer, which means "to provide food for." Restaurants will provide food for you if you've got the cash, and most of the time they'll even let you sit down right there and eat it. Common examples of restaurants include burger joints, cafeterias, pizzerias, sandwich shops, steak houses, seafood shacks, (some) hot-dog stands, ice cream parlors, taquerias, Chinese takeout, (some) bakeries, and fine-dining establishments.
Vocabulary lists containing restaurant
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.
Part of the company’s expansion in years past depended on placing its items in grocery-store meat sections and striking deals with restaurant chains to land plant-based items on their menus.
From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026
In his later days, one of his best-known ventures was his Ted’s Montana Grill restaurant chain.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
At 14:15 a gym class was in progress, a restaurant was preparing food, and a barber was mid-cut.
From BBC • May 5, 2026
While ID is commonly required for specific restaurant-related activities — such as purchasing alcohol or entering age-restricted venues — there is no general requirement to present identification simply to eat at a restaurant.
From Salon • May 3, 2026
They wandered past the Burmese restaurant, the furniture store, and the bar where Irish music played at night.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
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.
