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

Now it’s owned by a dairy cooperative but for decades, the Stueve family catered to local tastes and habits, like drive-through dairy windows.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 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

We’ve been sitting in the parking lot for ten minutes, and only one other car has followed us in the drive-through.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller