pantry

American  

[pan-tree] / ˈpæn tri /

noun

pantries plural

1. a room or closet in which food, groceries, and other provisions, or silverware, dishes, etc., are kept.

2. a room between the kitchen and dining room in which food is arranged for serving, glassware and dishes are stored, etc.

3.  food pantry.  a shelter or other place where food is dispensed to people experiencing food insecurity, either as groceries or as meals.

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pantry British  

/ ˈpæntrɪ /

noun

1. a small room or cupboard in which provisions, cooking utensils, etc, are kept; larder

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pantries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pantry

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English panetrie, from Anglo-French; Old French paneterie “bread room,” equivalent to panet(er) “to bake bread” (derivative of pan “bread,” from Latin pānis ) + -erie noun suffix; see -ery

Explanation

A pantry is an area in or near a kitchen where food is stored. When you buy a hundred boxes of macaroni and cheese that are on sale, you'll need to make room in the pantry for them. Not every kitchen has a pantry, a dedicated space for storing food and other supplies. In some cases a pantry is a closet or cupboard with shelves, and sometimes a pantry is an entirely separate room adjacent to the kitchen. The Anglo-French source of pantry, panetrie, means "bread room," from the Medieval Latin panataria, "room of a servant in charge of food or bread." The Latin root, panis, means "bread."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pantry pantries

“You have people engaging in conversations about how they’re going to rearrange their pantry, or where the vanity should go in the master bath—it’s really exciting.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026

But the level of tension is such that as the chefs battle the clock, the pantry, the rain-delayed customer traffic and people overstaying their welcome, they might as well be performing organ transplants.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

A bowl of pantry pasta that might otherwise look a little lonely suddenly looks downright lavish when it’s surrounded by warm rolls, a dish of olive oil and a basket lined with a linen napkin.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

I don’t think I would trust him to reorganize my pantry.

From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2026

The pantry door stood invitingly open, so he slipped inside.

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

A spokesperson said it also encouraged physical activity through accessible play facilities and had "several" community pantries and shops that offered "healthy, low cost or free choices for families".

From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026

Some officers are taking on second jobs or relying on donations, union officials say, while several major airports are collecting gift cards and stocking food pantries for TSA staff struggling without pay.

From Barron's ● Mar. 21, 2026

That is prompting shoppers to delay restocking their pantries and pass on buying extra tubes of toothpaste when they see a promotion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026

Even with food aid, she depends on food pantries to help her obtain items such as canned ravioli, Rice-a-Roni and frozen dinners for the last two weeks of the month.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2025

The Sisters kept their pantries and auxiliary libraries and armories in the seemingly endless floors belowground.

From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill

Related Words

• cellar
• closet
• cupboard