1. Restaurant for people at an institution (factory, school, business, etc)
   "The workers ate lunch in the factory canteen"
    
2. A shop selling food and personal items, typically within an institution, school or camp
   "Campers bought snacks and toiletries at the camp canteen"
    
3. A flask for carrying water; used by soldiers or travellers
   "The hiker refilled his canteen at the mountain stream"
    
4. A restaurant outside; often for soldiers or policemen
   "The mobile canteen provided hot meals to the emergency workers at the disaster site";
   - mobile canteen
    
5. A recreation room in an institution
   "Students gathered in the school canteen between classes"
    
6. [Brit] A box for storing cutlery
   "They packed a canteen of silverware for the camping trip"

Derived forms: canteens

Type of: eatery [informal], eating house, eating place, flask, rec room [N. Amer, informal], recreation room, restaurant, resto [N. Amer, informal], shop, store

Encyclopedia: Canteen