restaurant
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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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How does restaurant compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
See Examples For:
Comparable restaurant sales at The Cheesecake Factory restaurants increased 5.8% compared with a year ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
In January, Ward said he was "not embarrassed" after his restaurant was given a one-star food hygiene rating following an inspection in November 2025.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
When Julie Masino became Cracker Barrel’s CEO in 2023, she arrived with plans to modernize a restaurant chain known for breakfast, meatloaf, rocking chairs and a homespun atmosphere.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Earlier this year, four other top UK chefs and restaurant owners urged the government to cut VAT for restaurants and pubs.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
They broke for lunch in the dining commons, which was more like a nice restaurant than a typical office cafeteria, but they were all too nervous to enjoy the meal.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
Loonen declined to say how many bottles it had produced to date but shared that it is available in 2,000 stores, restaurants and cafes, as well as on Amazon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Top UK chefs call for cutting VAT for pubs and restaurants to 10%
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
She has covered food, restaurants and travel for more than 20 years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Cracker Barrel's shares have struggled because sales are falling and customer traffic is slowing, all while restaurants grapple with soaring costs.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The night after the Normandy Invasion, restaurants in Moscow were packed with excited people thrilled to have a reason to celebrate.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
