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.
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Recent Examples of cafeteria
The Evolv system was installed at Antioch High School in January as students returned to campus six days after a student opened fire in the cafeteria, fatally shooting one student and wounding another before fatally shooting himself.
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Rachel Wegner, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Sep. 2025
The first few dinners in the spring reminded Stoney of school cafeterias in the 1950s, with white people on one side of the room and African American people on the other.
—Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 22 Sep. 2025
When the couple walked into the cafeteria, Mel spotted their daughter sitting with other classmates whose grandparents couldn't make it to lunch.
—Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
Vega acknowledges that misconceptions about cafeteria food may lead some families to send a packed lunch along with the message that school lunches are inadequate or even harmful.
—Oona Hanson, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cafeteria
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cafeteria
Noun
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The tournament will provide a major boost in tourism for the host cities, from a soar in hotel and restaurant bookings and transportation fees, alongside opening up additional jobs.—
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The restaurants that filed for Chapter 7 — Campbell, Morgan Hill and Santa Clara — appear to have shuttered.—
Noun
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Rocketown will install state-of-the-art gaming, a cafe, a pool table, a stage for open mic events for kids and a recording studio.—
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The new Kroger Marketplace opening soon on East Bonds Ranch Road won’t have the typical Starbucks cafe inside, like many other Kroger locations.—
Noun
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While the diner has been for sale for about three years, the couple has recently become more serious about selling.—
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Using authentic dishes and bold flavors, Chefs Ana Aguilar, Marcio Florez and Edgar Victoria all aim to transport diners to their countries of origin.—
Noun
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Speaking on condition of anonymity, the worker described the mounting panic as agents surrounded the building and gathered up to 70 workers – many from Guatemala and Nicaragua – into the lunchroom, where the entire workforce was questioned.—
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More than any world leader, Abe perfected the art of winning Trump’s favor with flattery, lavish gifts, sitting with him in the Group of Seven lunchroom when others wouldn’t and nominating him for a Nobel Peace Prize.—
Cite this Entry
“Cafeteria.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cafeteria. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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