commissary

American  

[kom-uh-ser-ee] / ˈkɒm əˌsɛr i /

noun

plural

commissaries

1. a store that sells food and supplies to the personnel or workers in a military post, mining camp, lumber camp, or the like.

2. a dining room or cafeteria, especially one in a motion-picture studio.

3. a person to whom some responsibility or role is delegated by a superior power; a deputy.

4. (in France) a police official, usually just below the police chief in rank.

5. commissar.

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commissary British  

/ ˈkɒmɪsərɪ, ˌkɒmɪˈsɛərɪəl /

noun

1. a shop supplying food or equipment, as in a military camp

2. army an officer responsible for supplies and food

3. a snack bar or restaurant in a film studio

4. a representative or deputy, esp an official representative of a bishop

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Other Word Forms

• commissarial adjective
• commissaryship noun
• subcommissarial adjective
• subcommissary noun

Etymology

Origin of commissary

1350–1400; Middle English commissarie (< Anglo-French ) < Medieval Latin commissārius, equivalent to Latin commiss ( us ) (past participle of committere to commit ) + -ārius -ary

Explanation

A commissary is a food and supply store for employees. On military bases, soldiers and their families shop in a commissary. The original commissaries were the military ones, from an earlier meaning of the word, "military official in charge of food supplies and transport." Today, many workplaces have commissaries where employees can buy prepared food, provisions, and sometimes equipment. Some factory laborers, miners, incarcerated people, and office workers shop at commissaries. And since Hollywood movie studios first opened in the early 20th century, they operated cafeterias on their lots, known as commissaries, for their employees.

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, she’s tormented by the knowledge that Hadley was only 20 or so paces from the safety of the Mystic commissary, if only she’d left her cabin.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

She and her compatriots gather every Sunday outside the Otay Mesa facility to raise money to help detainees buy food in the prison commissary and call their families.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

The “kitty” is then resold, creating a secondary market within the jails that is cheaper than the commissary.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 27, 2025

“It’s raising the ceiling of what we can accomplish,” said Tony, who called the commissary the “engine” of the business.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2025

At the beginning of each week, we went to the commissary and brought home bags and bags of food.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls