cafeteria

1 of 2

noun

caf·​e·​te·​ria ˌka-fə-ˈtir-ē-ə How to pronounce cafeteria (audio)
1
: a restaurant in which the customers serve themselves or are served at a counter and take the food to tables to eat
2

cafeteria

2 of 2

adjective

: providing a selection from which a choice may be made
cafeteria benefit plan
a cafeteria curriculum

Examples of cafeteria in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
As a group of firefighters walked in Wednesday evening, the cafeteria erupted in applause. Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024 Six years ago, Clara Temple was in first grade, trying to order lunch from the cafeteria for the first time. Brittney Melton, NPR, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
Officials floated several ideas Monday on how to deal with lunchroom sizes, including allowing students to eat in non-cafeteria sites, younger students eating picnic style or high school juniors and seniors being allowed to leave the school campus for lunch. Rafael Guerrero, chicagotribune.com, 15 June 2021 See all Example Sentences for cafeteria 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

American Spanish cafetería coffeehouse, from cafetera coffee maker, from French cafetière, from café

First Known Use

Noun

1894, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1908, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cafeteria was in 1894

Dictionary Entries Near cafeteria

Cite this Entry

“Cafeteria.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cafeteria. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

cafeteria

noun
caf·​e·​te·​ria
ˌkaf-ə-ˈtir-ē-ə
1
: a restaurant in which the customers serve themselves or are served at a counter but carry their own food to their tables
2
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!