dining hall

American  

noun

1. a large room in which meals are served to members of a special group and their guests, as to the students and faculty of a college.

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Etymology

Origin of dining hall

First recorded in 1660–70

Explanation

A dining-hall is a large space where many people eat at the same time. If you go to college and live in a dormitory, you'll probably eat most of your meals in a dining-hall. You can use the word dining-hall when you're talking about a cafeteria or another group space for eating. You'll find dining-halls at universities, camps. and boarding schools. The word hall. a long room, comes from the Old English root heall, "spacious roofed residence," and dining is rooted in the Old French disner, "to have a meal."

Example Sentences

It rests in a ghostly state, empty cabins with a familiar sign affixed to the dining hall, Be The Light.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

The communal dining hall never had enough food, and the boys were always hungry.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

As I look back on my favorite egg recipes, I’m reminded of my childhood and early college years eating at the campus dining hall.

From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026

That complaint alleged that a dining hall worker wearing gloves used a broom and dustpan to sweep and then made scrambled eggs with the same gloves on, according to the report.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2025

On his tour of the dining hall he collected a good quantity of cutlery and some fine antique cruets.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

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