cafeteria

1 of 2

noun

caf·​e·​te·​ria ˌka-fə-ˈtir-ē-ə 

1

: a restaurant in which the customers serve themselves or are served at a counter and take the food to tables to eat

2

: lunchroom sense 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

Noun

Kindergarten and third-grade classes will share a lower hallway with a cafeteria set up in the church kitchen, a basement space lined with pews. — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 19 Aug. 2026

Recordings take place in school hallways, cafeterias, and classrooms, and feature interactions with other students as well as with staff and faculty. — Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 19 Aug. 2026

Letting kids see a parent pick fruit or reach for water, without turning every choice into a lesson, quietly builds habits that follow them into the cafeteria. — Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2026

The workforce is largely international and seasonal; employees live in dorms and eat at a workers’ cafeteria, as if Medora were a company town whose primary product is the Medora experience. — Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

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

Phrases Containing cafeteria

• cafeteria-style

Rhymes for cafeteria

• arteria
• bacteria
• criteria
• diphtheria
• egeria
• listeria
• wisteria
• cyanobacteria
• mycobacteria

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

: lunchroom