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

There will be a deep sense of pain with the void in the dressing room, in the canteen and on the team coach. —James Pearce, New York Times, 9 July 2025

This is essentially a perk tree for fine-tuning aspects of the game, like making canteens easier to fill in rivers or improving a gun’s firing rate. —Hayes Madsen, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2025

The restaurant at Under Canvas, while staying faithful to the idea of a semi-rustic canteen, was a showcase of just how extraordinary a simple menu of local ingredients can be. —Dinaw Mengestu, Travel + Leisure, 16 June 2025

Against a backdrop of corporatized Pride Month mega-events that pelt you with free rainbow canteens and bad music, this was much more authentic and communal. —Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 25 June 2025

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

Rhymes for canteen

• agin
• alkene
• allene
• ameen
• amin
• amine
• arene
• athene
• baleen
• beeline
• benzene
• between

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)