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drive-in

drive-in

39 3.7
Place where people stay in their cars to eat or watch a movie
  • noun
  • /ˈdraɪvˌɪn/
translation icon : autocine (cine)
  • The popular drive-in restaurant serves delicious burgers and milkshakes to customers in their vehicles.
  • drive-in theater

I mean, it's a graphic movie that George Romero really made for the drive in.

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Examples

  • We would go to the drive in a lot as a family and story was just a part of my life up from the time I was a little kid.

  • We got bottle service in a trailer at a drive in theater in Spain.

  • And when we went to the drive in movies, we would watch an alien picture.

  • But I, I think there were some drive in theaters that would actually run like almost year round, even here in, in Wisconsin.

  • I took her to the drive-in movie.

  • Of course we have these drive-ins back home in the cities, but this is where it all started.

  • And then the plan is to hit Keller's Drive in classic old school Drive in restaurant in Texas.

  • Uncle Jack is taking me around to all the drive-ins in Missouri.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The second time she drove the car was to the new drive-in theater.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • "We drove to a nearby drive-in restaurant where we sat in my car and ate burgers and fries.

    Fiction book (2000)

Synonyms

drive-thru
vsdrive-in
  • US
23 2.5

A place, like a restaurant or bank, where you buy things without leaving your car

is designed for staying parked to be served or to watch a show

How In-Person

in-person
15 2.7
drive-in
39 3.7
drive-thru
  • US
23 2.5
delivery
540 1.0
online
  • Texting
1.0

Surface Forms

drive-in singular
drive-ins plural

Morphology

drive-in = drive (semi-transparent) = in + drive

The components suggest a place you drive into, but the specific conventional meaning of a restaurant or cinema serving people in cars is not fully predictable from the parts alone. [Postprocessing: moved 'in' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Drive-in comes from two simple parts, drive ('to move a car') and in ('inside'), and it names a place where you drive your car in and stay inside while you eat or watch a film.