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

The all-in-one self-service app lets customers adjust their plans easily to meet current needs. —Nancy Clark, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025

The stand is self-service from noon to dark (around 8 p.m.). —Cathy Kozlowicz, jsonline.com, 14 Aug. 2025

Take your car to an auto or self-service wash, or clean it in your driveway the old-fashioned way — with a water hose and a bucket of car wash soap. —Keenan Thompson, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2025

The United States Postal Service (USPS) logo is displayed on a door as a postal customer uses a self-service mail shipping kiosk to ship a package at a USPS post office on August 28, 2024 in Redondo Beach, California. —Mark Dimondstein, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Aug. 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