canteen

[ kan-teen ]

/ kænˈtin /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR canteen ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a small container used especially by soldiers and hikers for carrying water or other liquids.

a general store and cafeteria at a military base.

a place where free entertainment is provided for military personnel.

a place, as in a factory, school, or summer camp, where refreshments and sometimes personal supplies are sold.

a recreation center or social club, especially for teenagers.

a place set up to dispense food during an emergency.

a snack bar.

British. a box or chest for cutlery and other table utensils.

QUIZZES

CAN YOU ACE THIS QUIZ ABOUT “COMPLIMENT” VS. “COMPLEMENT”?

Take this quiz to see if you really know the difference between “compliment” and “complement"!

Question 1 of 11

“Compliment” and “complement” had a shared meaning a long time ago, but today they are no longer interchangeable.

True

False

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of canteen

1730–40; < French cantine < Italian cantina cellar, perhaps derivative of canto corner (see cant²) with -ina -ine¹

Words nearby canteen

cantaloupe, cantankerous, cantar, cantata, cantatrice, canteen, canteen culture, canteloube, canter, canterbury, canterbury bell

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for canteen

“The profit from the canteen goes directly back into the facility,” says Van Wickler.
‘Progressive Jail’ Is a 21st-Century Hell, Inmates Complain|Sarah Shourd|September 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She spent 12-hour days at the Red Cross canteen, doing whatever was needed.
Eleanor Roosevelt: Feminist Icon|Eleanor Clift|September 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Being popular online is like sitting at the cool table in the canteen…In a mental hospital,” he wrote.
Amnesty International U.K. Board Chairman Resigns Over Crude Jokes|Nico Hines|August 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Canteen cash at the end of each day should be handed over to the Director and entered in the petty cash book.
Campward Ho!|Unknown

With the last of the water in the canteen, he washed her face, he could not wash out the scar of course.
The Chalice Of Courage|Cyrus Townsend Brady
The canteen was surpassed only by Meaulte, of ill-fated memory.
A Company of Tanks|W. H. L. Watson
About the middle of the month the Battalion received its first supply of canteen stores.
The 28th: A Record of War Service in the Australian Imperial Force, 1915-19, Vol. I|Herbert Brayley Collett
A little later he ate two of the sandwiches Wishful had thoughtfully provided, and drank from the canteen.
Partners of Chance|Henry Herbert Knibbs

British Dictionary definitions for canteen

canteen

/ (kænˈtiːn) /

noun

a restaurant attached to a factory, school, etc, providing meals for large numbers of people

a small shop that provides a limited range of items, such as toilet requisites, to a military unit
a recreation centre for military personnel

a soldier's eating and drinking utensils

a temporary or mobile stand at which food is provided

a box in which a set of cutlery is laid out
the cutlery itself

a flask or canister for carrying water or other liquids, as used by soldiers or travellers

Word Origin for canteen

C18: from French cantine, from Italian cantina wine cellar, from canto corner, from Latin canthus iron hoop encircling chariot wheel; see cant ²

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

canteen

noun

QUIZZES

CAN YOU ACE THIS QUIZ ABOUT “COMPLIMENT” VS. “COMPLEMENT”?

Origin of canteen

Words nearby canteen

Words related to canteen

Example sentences from the Web for canteen

British Dictionary definitions for canteen

noun

Word Origin for canteen