drive-through

American  

[drahyv-throo] / ˈdraɪvˌθru /

Informal, drive-thru

noun

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.

Etymology

Origin of drive-through

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

Example Sentences

Back in 1966, Longleat Safari Park opened the first drive-through safari outside of Africa with lions roaming the Wiltshire countryside.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

Cheaper quick-service chains, and those located in cities, were less vulnerable to rising gas prices than those geared toward drive-through service and customers making longer drives to their locations.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026

In Portland, Ore., an independent service station owner turned off his pumps and turned his place into a drive-through taco shop.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

The friend who shows up with a Frosty and a sleeve of fries because you were already at the drive-through.

From Salon • Jan. 19, 2026

He figured out that when you made a withdrawal from the drive-through window at the bank, it took a few minutes for the transaction to register in the computer.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls