restaurant
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of restaurant
An Americanism first recorded in 1820–30; from French, noun use of present participle of restaurer, from Latin restaurāre “to restore, reestablish”; cf. re- ( def. ), store
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Explanation
A restaurant is a place — usually inside a building — where you go to eat food, which, most of the time, you must pay for. Restaurant comes from the French restaurer, which means "to provide food for." Restaurants will provide food for you if you've got the cash, and most of the time they'll even let you sit down right there and eat it. Common examples of restaurants include burger joints, cafeterias, pizzerias, sandwich shops, steak houses, seafood shacks, (some) hot-dog stands, ice cream parlors, taquerias, Chinese takeout, (some) bakeries, and fine-dining establishments.
Vocabulary lists containing restaurant
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.
Part of the company’s expansion in years past depended on placing its items in grocery-store meat sections and striking deals with restaurant chains to land plant-based items on their menus.
From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026
In his later days, one of his best-known ventures was his Ted’s Montana Grill restaurant chain.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
Bloomin’ also is accelerating restaurant remodels, aiming to refresh nearly all Outback locations by the end of 2028 at an expected cost of $350,000 to $400,000 per restaurant, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026
Residents had been moved from a local Harvester restaurant to the nearby Begbrook Social Club around noon on Sunday, and police declared a major incident.
From BBC • May 4, 2026
She stood before the screen, certain she could practically smell the restaurant, the heavy perfumes of a room full of divas and ingénues.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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.
