drive-in

[drahyv-in]

noun

1. a place of business or public facility designed to accommodate patrons who sit in their automobiles, as a movie theater with an outdoor screen facing the parking area or a restaurant where servers bring food out to be eaten in the parked automobiles.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of such an establishment.

   Drive-in business far exceeded walk-in business.

drive-in

adjective

1. denoting a public facility or service designed to be used by patrons seated in their cars

   a drive-in bank

noun

1. a cinema designed to be used in such a manner

Word History and Origins

Origin of drive-in¹

An Americanism first recorded in 1925–30; noun, adjective use of verb phrase drive in

Related Words

• amphitheater 
• arena 
• auditorium 
• cinema 
• concert hall www.thesaurus.com
• drama 
• hall 
• house 
• movie 
• movie house www.thesaurus.com
• opera house 
• playhouse 
• room 
• scene 
• site 
• theatre