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

Free hot meals for staff at Old Trafford are coming to an end, and are to be replaced by fruit bowls, with the canteen set to close. —Adam Crafton, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025

There are handprints along the main corridor leading to the canteen in the central hub of the hospice, giving it a bright and welcoming feel. —Simon Perry, People.com, 30 Jan. 2025

Bar Oliver, recently opened by the gentlemen behind Mimi, Mr. Fong’s, Casino, and various other downtown canteens, is such a place. —airmail.news, 9 Nov. 2024

Logos and signs plastered with red and gold — lucky colors in Chinese tradition — brighten the otherwise gray exteriors while aromas of Peking duck come from an on-site canteen. —David Culver, CNN, 18 Jan. 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)