food court

American  

noun

food courts plural

1. a space, as in a shopping mall, with a concentration of fast-food stalls and usually a common eating area.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• food courts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of food court

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

At Plaza Mexico, where a framed picture of the Virgin of Guadalupe looks over the food court, customers filled about half the tables during lunchtime recently.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

At the end of the day, the women from Ohio made their way back to Union Station, convening in the basement food court to wait for the bus.

From Salon • Nov. 29, 2025

Students cross it constantly, cutting through between classes or to meet friends at the food court, or pausing to take in the sun on the grass.

From Slate • Oct. 30, 2025

The colourful glare of the Oasis food court, which then included restaurants like Rock Island Diner and Ma Potter's, was a magnet for visitors.

From BBC • Sep. 10, 2025

I glance over at her joking with a group of Junior Agent trainees on the other side of the food court and then click on her page.

From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston