cuisine
Americannoun
-
cuisines
plural
-
a style or quality of cooking; cookery.
Italian cuisine; This restaurant has an excellent cuisine.
-
Archaic. the kitchen or culinary department of a house, hotel, etc.
noun
-
a style or manner of cooking
French cuisine
-
the food prepared by a restaurant, household, etc
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of cuisine
1475–85; < French: literally, kitchen < Vulgar Latin *cocīna, for Latin coquīna; see kitchen
Explanation
Cuisine is a type of food that is cooked in a specific way based on a culture's ingredients, region, and traditions. If you're craving cannoli, a visit to Chinatown doesn't make much sense, since cheese is more characteristic of Italian cuisine. Boiling an egg or flipping burgers on the grill is cooking. But if you want to create cuisine, you need to understand how to prepare the culinary specialties of a particular country or culture. To make Italian cuisine, for example, you'll need to chop garlic, roll out pasta dough, and simmer pots of tomato sauce. When the word "fine" is attached to cuisine, it describes the food at a fancy restaurant that will part you with a good portion of your money.
Vocabulary lists containing cuisine
Eat Your Words
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Passover Vocabulary
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Mardi Gras: Food
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Israeli cuisine has inspired long-form dismissals, along with charges of cultural appropriation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Digital nomads rave about the affordable cost of living, phenomenal cuisine, lightning-fast internet and easy connections to other destinations in Asia.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
The island nation's cuisine predominantly consists of fish, vegetables, and rice - and less saturated fat than many Western diets.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
A hot chef who oversaw a turnaround at the 21 Club, another legendary New York dining spot, Lomonaco turned Windows into a destination for American cuisine along with the breathtaking views.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
Salma aunty makes Pakistani food sound like the most deliciously irresistible cuisine on earth.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
But growing up in Los Angeles, he found a sense of belonging in a multicultural community that gave him an appreciation for different cultures, cuisines and music.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
You open FoodNeverComes, pick from 22 cuisines and start scrolling.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
Chili peppers are eaten every day by billions of people and are an essential ingredient in cuisines across Asia, Latin America, Africa, and many other parts of the world.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
And there’s its versatility, spanning recipes across seasons and cuisines.
From Salon ● Apr. 19, 2026
“Real Chinese cuisines aren’t typically like this, bud. We’re eating Chinese-American food. It’s a different thing.”
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
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.
