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

Also recommended are: Giving office walk-ins a virtual place in line to reduce wait times at clerk offices, exploring self-service kiosks at major offices and reviewing fees for purchasing vital records. —Sophie Levenson, Chicago Tribune, 8 July 2025

These locations feature the program's first two self-service kiosks. —Quinn Clark, jsonline.com, 7 July 2025

Starbucks has also brought back ceramic mugs for some in-store orders and reintroduced the self-service condiment bar. —Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 July 2025

The Growing Role Of Platform Engineering Platform engineering, an approach that focuses on unified, self-service technology platforms, can help organizations address the issues associated with legacy application performance and modernization. —Steve Millidge, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1913, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for self-service

• disservice
• preservice
• interservice
• nervous
• nervus

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