pantry

noun

pan·​try ˈpan-trē How to pronounce pantry (audio)
plural pantries
Synonyms of pantrynext
1
: a room or closet used for storage (as of provisions) or from which food is brought to the table
2
: a room (as in a hotel or hospital) for preparation of foods on order

Synonyms of pantry

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of pantry in a Sentence

homemade jams and pickles are stored in a separate pantry off the kitchen
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Looking around the crowd gathered for boxes of bread and other pantry items, Dues shook her head. — Marissa J. Lang, NPR, 30 Oct. 2026 If elected, Haider said her goals include protecting healthcare, funding food pantries, improving mental health care and providing more accessibility as a candidate. — David Sharos, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2026 Interviews with grocers, distributors and food pantry volunteers across 13 northern Wisconsin counties helped illustrate why. — Michelle Miller, The Conversation, 29 Oct. 2026 Toss anything that has expired and consider donating in-date items to a local food pantry. — Rose Kennedy, AJC.com, 28 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pantry

Word History

Etymology

Middle English panetrie, from Anglo-French paneterie, from paneter servant in charge of the pantry, from pain bread, from Latin panis — more at food

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pantry was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing pantry

Rhymes for pantry

See All Rhymes for pantry

Browse Nearby Words

pantropical
pantry
pantryman
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pantry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pantry. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

pantry

noun
pan·​try ˈpan-trē How to pronounce pantry (audio)
plural pantries
: a small room in which food and dishes are kept
Etymology

Middle English panetrie "pantry," derived from early French panetier "servant in charge of food storage," from pan "bread," from Latin panis "bread, food" — related to companion

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All