restaurant
Americannoun
-
restaurants
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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
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How does restaurant compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
See Examples For:
“Until they closed down three or four years ago, my favorite Indian restaurant was this place in Studio City on Ventura Place called Gangadin,” she says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
The soda giant developed Mountain Dew Baja Blast for the Mexican-style restaurant brand, and the drink has generated billions of dollars in sales since.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
It offered drivers maps and recommendations for places to eat and stay, before evolving into one of the best-known names in restaurant recognition.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Katie: No, in the same way most of us don’t pick a restaurant based on its branding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Every Saturday, Timber, King, Bob, and a girl named Picnic_ant gather at a local restaurant or cafe to eat and play games.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Here’s what happened when hotels, restaurants and runways in Paris welcomed dogs for several days this fall.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Beverages have become increasingly competitive in restaurants as chains seek new items that will appeal to younger consumers, and deliver better profits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
PepsiCo’s drinks will still be available at many KFCs abroad, as well as Taco Bell restaurants, the Wall Street Journal reported.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
The wider guide includes more than 70 other South Australian restaurants, with some recognised through the Bib Gourmand category, which highlights restaurants offering good food at more moderate prices.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
We all head down to an area close to Tío Ermenio’s that has a whole bunch of restaurants.
From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya
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