Definition

1. Noun:
   • A restaurant in a factory or workplace: A place where employees can buy and eat meals during their workday.
   • A recreation room in an institution: A room in a school, hospital, or other institution where people can relax and sometimes buy snacks.
   • A restaurant for military or police personnel: A place, often outside a main base or station, where soldiers or police can eat.
   • A shop selling food and personal items: A small store within a school, camp, or institution that sells snacks, drinks, and basic necessities.
   • A flask for carrying water: A small, often metal, container used by soldiers, hikers, or travelers to carry drinking water.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The factory canteen serves hot lunches at a low price.
  • Students gathered in the school canteen during the break.
  • The soldiers appreciated the mobile canteen near the training grounds.
  • I need to buy a notebook from the camp canteen.
  • He filled his canteen with cold water before the long hike.

Advanced Usage

• "Dry canteen": A canteen (shop or restaurant) that does not serve alcoholic beverages.
  • The new policy requires all school canteens to be dry canteens.
• "Wet canteen": A canteen (shop or restaurant) that is licensed to serve alcoholic beverages.
  • The wet canteen on the base is popular with off-duty personnel.

Variants and Related Words

• Mess hall (n): A large dining room, especially in a military context. (Often larger than a canteen).
  • The recruits ate their dinner in the mess hall.
• Cafeteria (n): A restaurant where you serve yourself from a counter and pay at a cash register. (Similar to a self-service canteen).
  • The hospital cafeteria is open 24 hours.

Synonyms

• Dining hall: A large room for eating meals, often in an institution.
• Commissary: A store for food and supplies, especially on a military base.
• Water bottle: A container for carrying water.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

(Note: "Canteen" is a noun and does not typically form phrasal verbs.)

Related Idioms

(Note: There are no common idioms directly featuring the word "canteen.")

Noun

1. restaurant in a factory; where workers can eat
2. a recreation room in an institution
3. a restaurant outside; often for soldiers or policemen
4. sells food and personal items to personnel at an institution or school or camp etc.
5. a flask for carrying water; used by soldiers or travelers