canteen

noun can·teen \ kan-ˈtēn \

|Updated on: 11 Jun 2018

Definition of canteen

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

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Recent Examples of canteen from the Web

Volunteers from all over the country met there to coordinate canteen, hydration and spiritual counseling services.

— lawrence elizabeth knox, Houston Chronicle, "Salvation Army captain goes on search-and-rescue mission after the storm," 6 June 2018
Played pin-ball machines for a while, walked around town, stopped in Salvation Army canteen. Ate again about 9.

— phoebe wall howard, Detroit Free Press, "Service Diary of a Corpsman: Roy L. Wall, LST 509," 28 May 2018
Martino incorporated veterans' suggestions including a boonie hat on the soldier, a dog harness and two canteens because not only did handlers carry food and water for themselves but also for their pups.

— meg jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "5,000 military dogs went to Vietnam; not a single one came back. Now there is a memorial to honor them.," 28 May 2018
Writers for The New Yorker like A.J. Liebling, Joseph Mitchell, Maeve Brennan, and John McNulty also made Costello’s their canteen.

— alex vadukul, New York Times, "The Sistine Chapel of Comic-Strip Art," 11 May 2018
Today, the building serves as more than just an emergency canteen.

— whitney eulich, The Christian Science Monitor, "Months after Maria, Puerto Ricans take recovery into their own hands," 7 May 2018
Get our daily newsletter The device the trio came up with, shown in the picture, is a cheap pasteurisation machine based on a food warmer of the sort used in canteens.

— The Economist, "A pasteurisation machine for breast milk," 3 May 2018
This makes testing running shoes fundamentally different than testing, say, the thermoregulatory capabilities of different canteens, where an objective metric can be more easily applied.

— martin fritz huber, Outside Online, "Do New "Energy Return" Shoes Put Pep in Your Step?," 18 Apr. 2018
Items still unclaimed on the site include signed NFL helmets, a WWII canteen, a trumpet, an intact teacup and a wedding photo from the early 1900s.

— amanda lee myers, The Christian Science Monitor, "Mudslide survivors reconnected with treasured personal belongings months later," 17 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'canteen.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of canteen

French cantine bottle case, sutler's shop, from Italian cantina wine cellar, probably from canto corner, from Latin canthus iron tire — more at cant

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1737

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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CANTEEN Defined for English Language Learners

canteen

noun

Definition of canteen for English Language Learners

: a store in a camp, school, etc., in which food, drinks, and small supplies are sold
: a place where drinks and entertainment are provided for soldiers at a military base or camp
: a place where food is served in a factory, school, etc.

CANTEEN Defined for Kids

canteen

noun can·teen \ kan-ˈtēn \

Definition of canteen for Students

1 : a store (as in a camp or factory) 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 water or another liquid

a hiker's canteen

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See words that rhyme with canteen Spanish Central: Translation of canteen Nglish: Translation of canteen for Spanish speakers

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CANTEEN Defined for English Language Learners

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