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

She only got involved at the behest of a friend, a Rainbow Park cafeteria worker, who frantically approached her before school started one morning. — Austin Horn august 11, Miami Herald, 11 Aug. 2026

Aramark — The operator of cafeterias, hospital kitchens and sports stadium food stands climbed 9%. — Fred Imbert,darla Mercado, Cfp®, CNBC, 11 Aug. 2026

Soundcore Earbuds Deals Soundcore’s Space A40 earbuds give exceptional value for campus life, featuring adaptive noise cancellation that automatically adjusts to block up to 98% of ambient noise in libraries or cafeterias. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 7 Aug. 2026

The cafeteria in the new Fanning Center that overlooks the field from the northeast corner of the stadium will be repurposed on game days into a premium space called the Wreck Deck. — Ken Sugiura, AJC.com, 7 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