kiosk
Americannoun
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a small structure having one or more sides open, used as a newsstand, refreshment stand, bandstand, etc.
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a thick, columnlike structure on which notices, advertisements, etc., are posted.
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an interactive computer terminal available for public use, as one with internet access or site-specific information.
Students use kiosks to look up campus events.
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an open pavilion or summerhouse common in Turkey and Iran.
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British. a telephone booth.
noun
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a small sometimes movable booth from which cigarettes, newspapers, light refreshments, etc, are sold
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a telephone box
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a thick post on which advertisements are posted
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(in Turkey, Iran, etc, esp formerly) a light open-sided pavilion
Etymology
Origin of kiosk
First recorded in 1615–25; from French kiosque “stand in a public park,” ultimately from Turkish köşk “villa,” from Persian kūshk “palace, villa”
Explanation
A kiosk is a small booth or stall. Shopping malls and airports have retail kiosks that sell all sorts of things, ranging from cookies to cell phones to sunglasses to perfumes to newspapers to . . . well, really almost anything! You're probably familiar with retail kiosks, since they always seem to be located in highly visible areas of the mall, but there are other types of kiosks as well. Information kiosks provide helpful items to tourists, such as maps and pamphlets. You might also see electronic kiosks where you can buy tickets or get various types of information through videos or interactive presentations.
Vocabulary lists containing kiosk
How Dare the Sun Rise
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Between Shades of Gray
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This Week In Culture: October 12–18, 2019
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That became obvious as Bowen flipped through the photo albums he keeps in the kiosk.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
"If this goes on for another two or four months then our entire business will be finished," he said, sitting at the counter of his small jewellery kiosk.
From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026
Metro kiosk, which offers the supposed convenience of paying public transit fare to a machine.
From Slate • Apr. 4, 2026
A little zest rubbed directly into the yogurt gives it that sun-dappled brunch energy — not “airport kiosk at 6:12 a.m.”
From Salon • Mar. 17, 2026
He paused in front of a small kiosk, bought a newspaper, then continued down the terminal.
From "The Red Umbrella" by Christina Gonzalez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
