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Definition of cafeteria

cafeteria

/ˌkæf.əˈtɪr.i.ə/
caf · e · te · ri · a
Plural:cafeterias
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cafeteria Lexical Profile

cafeteria Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

A dining room or restaurant, especially in a school, workplace, hospital, or public building, in which customers serve themselves or are served from a counter and carry their meals on trays to tables.

Example

"The students gathered in the school cafeteria at noon to eat lunch together."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for cafeteria

• Rhymes for cafeteria

• Nearby Words

caesar salad
caf
cafe
cafeteria
cafetiere
caffeinate
caffeinated

Word Origin & Etymology

Borrowed in the mid-19th century from Mexican Spanish cafetería ('coffee shop'), formed from café ('coffee') and the Spanish suffix -tería denoting a place of business. The ending -teria subsequently became a productive suffix in American English for various commercial establishments.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Cafeteria. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/cafeteria
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