caf·e·te·ria
ˌka-fə-ˈtir-ē-ə 
1
: a restaurant in which the customers serve themselves or are served at a counter and take the food to tables to eat
: providing a selection from which a choice may be made
cafeteria benefit plan
a cafeteria curriculum
Examples of cafeteria in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
Regions with a strong military presence are reeling Last March, restauranteur Fran Bolden opened a cafeteria at the Redstone Arsenal, a US Army base near Huntsville, Alabama.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
Rafael Guerrero, chicagotribune.com, 15 June 2021
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Noun
The cafeteria smelled the same.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
Regions with a strong military presence are reeling Last March, restauranteur Fran Bolden opened a cafeteria at the Redstone Arsenal, a US Army base near Huntsville, Alabama.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Officials floated several ideas Monday on how to deal with lunchroom sizes, including allowing students to eat in non-cafeteria sites, younger students eating picnic style or high school juniors and seniors being allowed to leave the school campus for lunch.
—Rafael Guerrero, chicagotribune.com, 15 June 2021
See All Example Sentences for cafeteria
Cite this Entry
“Cafeteria.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cafeteria. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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