Drive-in

Quick meaning: Drive-in is an adjective meaning (US, of an establishment) Providing service to patrons who remain in their automobiles and partake while parked.

Meaning

(US, of an establishment) Providing service to patrons who remain in their automobiles and partake while parked.

More Meanings

1. (Philippines) motel; motor inn
2. (US, Canada, Australia) An outdoor cinema where movies are projected onto a large screen and patrons watch from inside their vehicles, listening either by a speaker or a designated radio frequency.
3. (US, Canada) A drive-through restaurant where patrons remain in their vehicles and order food and beverages via a speaker phone; the meal is delivered by a service window accessible by car.
4. (US, Canada) A restaurant where patrons remain in their vehicles to consume their meals; the meal may be ordered and delivered to one's vehicle by a carhop waiter; or may require patrons to use a service counter. The cars in the parking lot serve as the patrons' dining room, there being a lack of dining rooms and tables.

Example Sentences

drive-in church; drive-in funeral parlor

1965 May 7, Don Moser, The nightmare of life with Billy, LIFE, page 101,

The teenagers went down to the drive-in to order some hamburgers and fries.

At the end of June 1997, there were 325 cinema sites and 28 drive-in sites in Australia.

Word Forms

• drive-ins

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include film, movie, filmmaking, cinema, theater, drive-through.

Related Dictionary Tools