kitchen

American  

[kich-uhn] / ˈkɪtʃ ən /

noun

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.

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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

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kitchen Idioms  

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

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Other Word Forms

• kitchenless
  adjective
• kitcheny
  adjective
• outkitchen
  noun

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

He followed the famed trumpeter into the venue’s kitchen, where Davis had gone to grab a glass of water.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026

Gomez recently shared a glimpse inside the couple’s martial home, revealing that they have focused on incorporating color into the property with vibrant shelves and blue cabinets in their kitchen.

From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026

When an engineer who examined the home dropped a marble on the kitchen floor, it sped off into the corner.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

But first, I want to start with a technique that doesn’t require spending a single additional dollar: “reverse- shopping” your own kitchen.

From Salon • May 12, 2026

Up close, she’s shorter than you expected—just five feet tall, in tennis shoes—and she carries the scents of a kitchen.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Related Words

• gallery