canteen

noun

can·​teen kan-ˈtēn 

1

a

: a portable chest with compartments for carrying bottles or for cooking and eating utensils

b

: a flask for carrying liquids (as on a hike)

c

: mess kit

d

British : a chest for storing flatware

2

a

: a bar at a military post or camp

b

: a general store at a military post : exchange

c

: an establishment that serves as an informal social club (as for soldiers or a community's teenagers)

d

: a small cafeteria or snack bar

Examples of canteen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

At the dawn of World War I, the Russian Empire was home to a vibrant vegetarian community; a Kyiv Vegetarian Society canteen, one of about a dozen vegetarian canteens in the city, served more than 200,000 visitors in 1911. —Crystal Heath, Vox, 9 Aug. 2024

The food that Mitchell prepares at Clover Hill has the subtlety and precision of any Manhattan-billionaire canteen. —Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 21 July 2024

The cost of a stay at Phantom Ranch does not include meals at the canteen. —Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 17 Jan. 2024

The sparse meals at a company canteen were sometimes contaminated with cockroaches, several of the former employees, now among 13 plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Kimberly-Clark, told the Journal Sentinel. —Steven Martinez, Journal Sentinel, 25 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French cantine bottle case, sutler's shop, from Italian cantina wine cellar, probably from canto corner, from Latin canthus iron tire — more at cant entry 4

First Known Use

1737, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

canteen

noun

can·​teen kan-ˈtēn 

1

: a store (as in a camp) in which food, drinks, and small supplies are sold

2

: a place of recreation and entertainment for people in military service

3

: a small container for carrying liquids (as on a hike)