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Glite Dictionary
automat

automat

3 7.3
A restaurant where you buy ready food from machines
  • noun
  • /ˈɔːtəˌmæt/
  • Archaic
translation icon : automat
  • I enjoyed a quick meal at the automat after my long day at work.

Examples

  • We had automats where you went inside and put a quarter in and you'd get a little piece of pie or a sandwich you could see through a window.

    Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

  • Tom kept coming to see him in Philadelphia, where they would meet at the Automat and Sid would splurge on his favorites: mashed potatoes and creamed spinach.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • I met her outside an Automat.

    Dark City (1998)

  • We missed you at the Automat.

    Naked Lunch (1991)

  • And I got a job reading tea leaves at the Automat.

    Kiss Me Kate (1953)

  • I ate Thanksgiving dinner at the Automat.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • The automat, then, is very functional: one buys, eats, and leaves.

    Academic text (1990)

  • Among the myriad of fast food eateries available, the automat ranks as a small but unique entity.

    Academic text (1990)

  • I miss the Horn and Hardart automats, but in retrospect, they were really unsanitary.

    Blog text (26)

  • The automat offered a variety of dishes that were ready to serve.

Synonyms

vending machine
vsautomat
56 1.9

A machine that sells snacks or drinks when you put money in

covers both a self service food place and single coin operated devices

How Automated

automat
  • Archaic
3 7.3
cafeteria
218 1.0
full service
15 4.1

Surface Forms

automat singular
automats plural

Etymology

Automat comes from the Greek root auto- meaning 'self', the same root you see in automatic. That's why an automat is a restaurant or machine that works 'by itself' and lets you serve yourself.