drive-through

American  

[drahyv-throo] / ˈdraɪvˌθru /

Informal, drive-thru

noun

drive-throughs plural

1. the act of driving through a specified locality or place, especially driving into a place of business, completing a transaction from one's car, and driving out.

   a quick drive-through of Beverly Hills;

   The bank has outside tellers' windows to accept deposits by drive-through.

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adjective

1. designed to accommodate or arranged for a drive-through.

   This gas station has a drive-through car wash.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• drive-throughs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of drive-through

First recorded in 1970–75; noun and adjectival use of verb phrase drive through

Example Sentences

They rejected his argument, and when the race restarted, Russell came in again to serve the drive-through penalty, which is what dropped him out of third place.

From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026

McGinn was at a McDonald's drive-through when a furious Lennon phoned.

From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026

The company plans to open more than 300 restaurants this year, many with drive-through “Chipotlanes,” which should help support its suburban expansion.

From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026

Solis’ office organized Wednesday’s drive-through food distribution as part of a partnership launched last month with the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank to address growing food insecurity in her district.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026

While we were ordering at the drive-through, Gay said, “I called Beth Reese today.”

From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter