restaurant

noun

res·​tau·​rant ˈre-stə-ˌränt 

-stränt

also -st(ə-)rənt, 

-stərnt

: a business establishment where meals or refreshments may be purchased

Synonyms of restaurant

• diner
• grill
• cafeteria

Examples of restaurant in a Sentence

when we get sick of cooking dinner at home, we like to go out to eat at a nice restaurant

Recent Examples on the Web

Meanwhile, the couple’s daughter opens a restaurant, and their son volunteers for Bernie Sanders’s Presidential campaign. —The New Yorker, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026

Moffett’s restaurant group has multiplied with Italian eatery Stagioni, its sister cocktail bar Sala, and a ramen-and-bun shop called Bao and Broth. —Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 13 Apr. 2026

One of the few clubs with comparable fees, the Yellowstone Club in Montana, offers access to multiple resorts, 50 ski trails and more than a dozen restaurants across a members-only area the size of Manhattan. —Bernard Condon, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026

Automatic service fees for large parties at a restaurant cannot be deducted as a qualifying tip, for instance. —Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 13 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, "restorative food or drink, public establishment where food and drink may be purchased," noun derivative from present participle of restaurer "to repair, refresh, renew," going back to Old French restorer, restaurer — more at restore

First Known Use

1806, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing restaurant

• Chinese restaurant syndrome
• restaurant car

Rhymes for restaurant

• commandant
• confidant
• conodont
• debutante
• nonchalant
• avant
• croissant
• detente
• entente
• savant
• storefront
• daunt

Kids Definition

restaurant

noun

res·​tau·​rant ˈres-t(ə-)rənt 

-tə-ˌränt

: a business place where meals or refreshments may be bought

Etymology

from French restaurant "food that restores, restaurant," from restaurer "to restore, renew"