as in restaurant
a place where people get food at a counter and carry it to a table for eating
The restaurant resembled a school cafeteria.
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cafeteria
Investigators say 26-year-old Ashleigh Wilson from Clayton, Georgia, worked as a cafeteria employee at Rabun County High School at the time of her arrest.
—
Dan Raby, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026
The new location has a spacious indoor play area, a larger cafeteria and can accommodate an additional 25 children, the release said.
—Cathy Kozlowicz, jsonline.com, 24 Feb. 2026
Even the cafeteria is a little bit louder — alive with conversations between students disconnected from their screens.
—Sequoia Carrillo, NPR, 20 Feb. 2026
His members include special education and teacher aides, cafeteria workers, custodians, gardeners and bus drivers.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cafeteria
Dan Raby, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026
The new location has a spacious indoor play area, a larger cafeteria and can accommodate an additional 25 children, the release said.
—Cathy Kozlowicz, jsonline.com, 24 Feb. 2026
Even the cafeteria is a little bit louder — alive with conversations between students disconnected from their screens.
—Sequoia Carrillo, NPR, 20 Feb. 2026
His members include special education and teacher aides, cafeteria workers, custodians, gardeners and bus drivers.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cafeteria
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cafeteria
Noun
-
Elevators are available from the parking garage to the lobby, between the two levels of the rooftop (the bar and the restaurant), and up to the pool deck.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 Mar. 2026
-
As the chef partner of Kindling inside Willis Tower, Sawyer balances television appearances with running a restaurant in one of the city’s busiest buildings.—
Eva Remijan-Toba,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
And the standout Turkish eggs—poached eggs, labne, and a mountain of fresh herbs atop a pillowy flatbread—debuted as a chef's special but was made a permanent fixture thanks to diner demand.—
Abbey Stone,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Creative diners can also make up their own bowls.—
Connie Ogle
March 4,
Miami Herald,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But fate placed them in the lunchroom of Queensborough Community College in 1985.—
Andy Greene,
VIBE.com,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Anthropic’s lunchroom, downstairs, was where Claude banged its head against walls in real life.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cafeteria.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cafeteria. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
