mess hall

noun

1. a place in which a group eats regularly, especially a dining hall in a military camp, post, etc.

mess hall

noun

1. a military dining room, usually large

Word History and Origins

Origin of mess hall¹

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

It involved a Hezbollah drone that managed to evade Israel’s vaunted air-defense system and plow into a mess hall at the base.

From Los Angeles Times

Images circulating on social media appear to show an empty mess hall with a hole in the roof.

From BBC

John Arthur Finnegan was on duty in a mess hall half a world away on the northeastern coast of Australia.

From Seattle Times

My bedtime music was the music from the mess hall.

From New York Times

Explore the ship’s midcentury mess hall, Spartan officers’ quarters, and corridors of claustrophobia-inducing stacked cots on lower decks next to imposing engine rooms.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• bistro
• booth
• coffee shop
• saloon