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soup kitchen

American  

noun

  1. a place where food, usually soup, is served at little or no charge to people experiencing food insecurity.

  2. Military Slang. (in World War I) a mobile kitchen.


soup kitchen British  

noun

  1. a place or mobile stall where food and drink, esp soup, is served to destitute people

  2. military a mobile kitchen

"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 soup kitchen

First recorded in 1850–55

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 the Guanabacoa neighborhood, in eastern Havana, workers are busy installing 12 solar panels on the roof of a nursing home run by the Catholic Church that doubles as a soup kitchen.

From Barron's

Nina, a 77-year-old retired engineer, said she could no longer go to the supermarket, getting her lunch and dinner from the soup kitchen instead, as she was not able to afford her own groceries.

From Barron's

Many use soup kitchens to get free hot meals because there are also power cuts here for hours on end.

From BBC

Apparently not when he’s working a soup kitchen, according to these legal aces.

From The Wall Street Journal

A soup kitchen has handed out 120 food parcels in under 20 minutes.

From BBC