self-service

noun

self-ser·​vice ˈself-ˈsər-vəs 

: the serving of oneself (as in a restaurant or gas station) with goods or services to be paid for at a cashier's desk or by using a coin-operated mechanism or a credit or debit card

self-service adjective

Examples of self-service in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For example, the rise in platform engineering teams has emerged as a crucial bridge between development and operations, orchestrating the observability toolchain and establishing scalable, self-service capabilities. —Tom Wilkie, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

In addition, players can purchase tickets at all of the lottery's self-service terminals throughout the state. —Ahjané Forbes, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024

Among these are returning self-service stations with milk and sugar to its thousands of U.S. cafés beginning in 2025 so customers can choose how much to put in their drink rather than ask a barista. —Phil Wahba, Fortune, 31 Oct. 2024

But one new addition did open: Blain’s Bath Barn, a new self-service pet wash station outside the store. —Jim Riccioli, Journal Sentinel, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1913, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

self-service

noun

self-ser·​vice

ˈself-ˈsər-vəs

: the serving of oneself (as in a restaurant or gas station) with things to be paid for at a cashier's desk or by means of a mechanism that is operated by coins

self-service adjective