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

Tang said his father worked in the canteen of a British Air Force base on the island and had bought this orchard in 1966. —Tom Downey, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 June 2025

Based on the 1935 date on the silver certificates and the Rock Island Arsenal stamp, the family suspects the canteen was repurposed for WWII use after originally being manufactured for WWI. —Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025

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

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)