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restaurant

American  
[res-tuh-rahnt, -trahnt] / ˈrɛs təˌrɑnt, -trɑnt /

noun

  1. an establishment where meals are served to customers.

restaurant British  
/ ˈrɛstrɒŋ, -rɒnt, ˈrɛstəˌrɒŋ /

noun

  1. a commercial establishment where meals are prepared and served to customers

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of restaurant

An Americanism first recorded in 1820–30; from French, noun use of present participle of restaurer, from Latin restaurāre “to restore, reestablish”; re- ( def. ), store

Compare meaning

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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.

In northern Tehran, usually lively cafes and restaurants were closed.

From Barron's

Philadelphia’s downtown is resilient and resurgent: 130 retailers and restaurants opened here last year, fueled by a downtown residential population that has grown since the Avenue of the Arts organization was founded in 1993.

From The Wall Street Journal

Not the silken, restaurant version piped into porcelain.

From Salon

Previously, the bots primarily delivered meals from restaurants.

From Los Angeles Times

The Washington Post reported it was recorded after the restaurant had closed.

From BBC

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.