drive-through

American

[drahyv-throo] / ˈdraɪvˌθru /

Informal, drive-thru

noun

the act of driving through a specified locality or place, especially driving into a place of business, completing a transaction from one's car, and driving out.

a quick drive-through of Beverly Hills;
The bank has outside tellers' windows to accept deposits by drive-through.

adjective

designed to accommodate or arranged for a drive-through.

This gas station has a drive-through car wash.

Etymology

Origin of drive-through

First recorded in 1970–75; noun and adjectival use of verb phrase drive through

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Dutch Bros, the fast-growing drive-through brand, gets nearly two-thirds of its visits after the morning rush.

From The Wall Street Journal

Now it’s owned by a dairy cooperative but for decades, the Stueve family catered to local tastes and habits, like drive-through dairy windows.

From Los Angeles Times

Dad laughs at this extremely unfunny joke as he pulls into the McDonald’s drive-through.

From Literature

If I squeeze my eyes shut, I can almost pretend we’re back in Chicago, picking up gourmet sandwiches from the drive-through deli after my dance class.

From Literature

We’ve been sitting in the parking lot for ten minutes, and only one other car has followed us in the drive-through.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023