1
a
: a portable chest with compartments for carrying bottles or for cooking and eating utensils
b
: a flask for carrying liquids (as on a hike)
c
: mess kit
d
British
: a chest for storing flatware
2
a
: a bar at a military post or camp
b
: a general store at a military post : exchange
c
: an establishment that serves as an informal social club (as for soldiers or a community's teenagers)
d
: a small cafeteria or snack bar
Examples of canteen in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Such stand-alone films were screened in civic spaces, canteens, army venues, trade union halls as well as cinemas.
—
Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2024
Smith lost her telephone, tablet and canteen privileges for 90 days, beginning Oct. 4.
—Mollie Markowitz, Fox News, 16 Oct. 2024
At the dawn of World War I, the Russian Empire was home to a vibrant vegetarian community; a Kyiv Vegetarian Society canteen, one of about a dozen vegetarian canteens in the city, served more than 200,000 visitors in 1911.
—Crystal Heath, Vox, 9 Aug. 2024
The food that Mitchell prepares at Clover Hill has the subtlety and precision of any Manhattan-billionaire canteen.
—Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 21 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for canteen 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2024
Smith lost her telephone, tablet and canteen privileges for 90 days, beginning Oct. 4.
—Mollie Markowitz, Fox News, 16 Oct. 2024
At the dawn of World War I, the Russian Empire was home to a vibrant vegetarian community; a Kyiv Vegetarian Society canteen, one of about a dozen vegetarian canteens in the city, served more than 200,000 visitors in 1911.
—Crystal Heath, Vox, 9 Aug. 2024
The food that Mitchell prepares at Clover Hill has the subtlety and precision of any Manhattan-billionaire canteen.
—Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 21 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for canteen
Dictionary Entries Near canteen
Cite this Entry
“Canteen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/canteen. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
canteen
noun
can·teen
kan-ˈtēn 
1
: a store (as in a camp) in which food, drinks, and small supplies are sold
2
: a place of recreation and entertainment for people in military service
3
: a small container for carrying liquids (as on a hike)
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share