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:
They analyze shopping patterns and adjacency to other lifestyle destinations, for example a fantastic coffee shop or restaurant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
“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
The £11m freehold gift of the restaurant building along with its historic collection such as visitor books, menus, photographs will now be protected for future generations, the National Trust said.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Because Molly remembered vividly the night she had seen Bessie Thomashefsky at the Grand, and then followed it with a memorable dinner at Mon Lay Won, the fanciest restaurant she could afford in Chinatown.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Volumes fell 2% in the latest quarter, and The Wall Street Journal reported KFC has struck a deal to replace Pepsi with Coca-Cola at thousands of its U.S. restaurants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 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
"It's great," one woman who came to watch told AFP in the town dotted with Chinese as well as Korean shops and restaurants, where residents were relieved the bridge had finally open.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Can be found carelessly spending money in restaurants and nightclubs.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
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