drive-thru

British

noun

1. a takeaway restaurant, bank, etc designed so that customers can use it without leaving their cars
2. ( as modifier )
  
  a drive-thru restaurant

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

drive-thru

For one strange stretch this summer, the clearer answer came from the drive-thru.

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026

The police pursuit unfolded nearby as the couple pulled out of the drive-thru.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026

A $1 increase in gas prices can lead to around six fewer drive-thru customers a day, a recent analysis found.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026

The company aims to open approximately 400 net new U.S. stores annually, focusing on smaller formats and drive-thru options.

From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026

When he’s done and Marcus has turned off the drive-thru lights, Bo follows me out the back door, each of us carrying several bags of dripping trash.

From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023