Phrase guide

dinner lady

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A woman employed to serve food in a school or work canteen.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: lunch lady, school dinner lady

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Ellipsis of school dinner lady.

Across languages

Translations

3 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 食堂阿姨 (shítáng āyí) — woman employed to serve food
  • Swedish: mattant — woman employed to serve food
  • Portuguese: merendeira — woman employed to serve food