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.

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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

Derived Forms

• outkitchen
  noun
• kitchenless
  adjective
• kitcheny
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• kitchens
  plural

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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

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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

He followed up with an extraordinary, 16-minute speech on everything from marble to kitchen layouts to drones.

From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026

The chef’s kitchen boasts a walk-through pantry and a breakfast room.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026

She has a giant stuffed alligator on her bed and an enormous sword hanging over the kitchen counter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

Parties hosted by the fashion photographer Mert Alas and his partner, Tasso Góes de Ferreira, at their Victorian townhouse in London always begin and end in the kitchen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026

Five minutes later, we’re almost through Arlo’s detailed play-by-play of the menu when a football flies though the kitchen window, shattering the glass.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Many of these kitchens had stopped operating when the army retook control of the capital and expelled the RSF in March 2025.

From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026

The ground floor will house abc kitchens, a restaurant concept combining elements of Vongerichten’s abcV, abc cocina, and abc kitchen.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026

A massive cyclospora outbreak linked to shredded iceberg from Taylor Farms de Mexico prompted recalls extending from Taco Bell kitchens to supermarket produce aisles.

From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2026

I like smaller kitchens because: they are easier to work in.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

Both reached their kitchens at the same moment.

From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett

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