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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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

"They were everywhere - in the floors, the walls, in the pantry. But I haven't had them in the pantry this year."

From BBC • May 30, 2026

And he’ll need to get hold of their nighttime raids into the pantry and incessant time spent on social media before it renders them unfit for purpose when their parents get home.

From Barron's • May 27, 2026

There’s a certain genre of pantry items that feels, if not immortal, then at least immune to the normal rules of time.

From Salon • May 5, 2026

Traces of glyphosate appear in some popular pantry staples, including cereals and snacks that are beloved by children.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

She caught him staring at odd things—the hinge on the pantry cabinet, the medicine chest in the bathroom.

From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye

Related Words

• cellar
• closet
• cupboard