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.

---

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

“In most CCRCs, when you go down to the dining hall, half the people have walkers or canes. In the promotional literature, you don’t see that at all,” Horowitz said.

From MarketWatch • May 8, 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

Yet when I sit across from the 21-year-old singer at a dining hall on Olvera Street, she exudes a commanding diva spirit that is all her own.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 12, 2025

I went to the dining hall and had a late breakfast of tea and soft-boiled eggs, the first thing I’d eaten since Thursday.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Related Words

• amphitheater
• arena
• auditorium
• ballroom
• chamber
• church
• gallery
• gym
• gymnasium
• lounge
• theater