kitchen

American  

[kich-uhn] / ˈkɪtʃ ən /

noun

kitchens plural

1. a room or place equipped for cooking.

   The apartment has a full kitchen with an oven and dishwasher.

2. the staff involved in food preparation in a restaurant or eatery.

   He called the kitchen to make sure they could accommodate his allergies.

3. culinary department; cuisine.

   This restaurant has a fine Italian kitchen.

4. the equipment and fixtures needed to make a room suitable for cooking.

   We bought a kitchen, but it still needs to be installed.

5. Sports. (on a pickleball court) a seven-foot zone on either side of the net from which players are prohibited from returning the ball before it hits the ground.

---

adjective

1. of, relating to, or designed for use in a room equipped for cooking.

   There's a view of the yard from the kitchen window.

   We got a new, more colorful set of kitchen curtains.

2. employed in or assigned to a place or business that makes food.

   Kitchen staff and volunteers worked together to feed over 500 food-insecure people.

kitchen British  

/ ˈkɪtʃɪn /

noun

1. 1. a room or part of a building equipped for preparing and cooking food

   2. ( as modifier )

      a kitchen table

---

kitchen Idioms  

1. see everything but the kitchen sink; if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• outkitchen
  noun
• kitchenless
  adjective
• kitcheny
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• kitchens
  plural

Etymology

Origin of kitchen

First recorded before 1000; Middle English kichene, Old English cycene ≪ Latin coquīna, equivalent to coqu(ere) “to cook” + -īna -ine ¹; cf. cuisine

Explanation

People always hang out in the kitchen at a party because a kitchen is where the food is. Restaurants have kitchens too, but only the kitchen staff hangs out in there. A kitchen is a room that’s meant for cooking. Whether you're making a four-course meal or microwave popcorn, the kitchen is where the magic happens. Schools, hospitals, and restaurants have kitchens. The word kitchen can also be used as an adjective. Guess where the kitchen cabinets are? If someone says you’ve packed everything but the kitchen sink, your suitcase is overflowing. And you should totally go back and get that sink. The Old English root of kitchen is from the Vulgar Latin cocina, rooted in coquere, "cook."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

kitchen kitchens

The colorful aesthetic follows into the kitchen, which is adorned with sage green cabinetry, a wooden island, and state-of-the-art appliances.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

Meals used in the clinical trial are prepared in a controlled metabolic kitchen, where researchers measure ingredients to the nearest 0.1 gram.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

He takes up work in a hotel kitchen and enjoys hedonistic nights in the city’s clubs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Despite the acclaim his Birmingham restaurant The Wilderness commands, Claridge says the reality behind the kitchen doors is one of soaring costs, shrinking margins and constant uncertainty.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

So we all ate in silence, not a word being spoken between us—until, that is, Mutti left the kitchen, telling us she was going to check on Marlene out in the barn.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

After some coaxing from family, Ramirez realized he was perfectly equipped to create mobile kitchens from scratch.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

What would it feel like if the court took seriously the idea that the American public can foment and lobby and birth constitutional meaning in their own home kitchens?

From Slate ● Jul. 18, 2026

They mix in large numbers at close quarters, while sharing kitchens, accommodation and going on nights out.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

More bathrooms and kitchens need to be added, and weight loads need to be adjusted.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

They called him a comical genius and carried his stories carefully home, and they wondered at how the stories spilled out on the way, for they never sounded the same repeated in their own kitchens.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

• gallery