drive-through

English

Alternative forms

• drive-thru (US)

Etymology

Deverbal from drive through.

Adjective

drive-through (not comparable)

1. Of an establishment, providing service to occupants of automobiles while they are in their still-running vehicle, especially when the vehicle does not park in a parking space and the goods received are not consumed until the vehicle vacates the lane.

   Coordinate term: drive-in (adj)

   I switched banks so that I could use a drive-through branch near my home.

2. Of a feature of such an establishment (especially a window), adapted to provide such service.

   The restaurant’s drive-through window had a turntable of bulletproof glass designed to allow transactions while preventing robberies.

Derived terms

• ski-through

Noun

drive-through (plural drive-throughs)

1. An establishment, especially a restaurant, providing drive-through service.

   Coordinate term: drive-in (noun)

   Since I was pressed for time, I picked up burgers at a drive-through on the way home.

2. The window of such an establishment adapted for such purpose.

   “Please pull forward and pay at the drive-through,” said the attendant upon taking my order.

Derived terms

• ski-through

Translations

establishment providing drive-through service

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 得來速 / 得来速 (zh) (déláisù)

• Finnish: autokaistaravintola (restaurant)
• French: drive (fr) m, drive-in (fr) m
• German: Drive-in-Restaurant n, Drive-Thru n
• Hungarian: autós (hu)/^{(please verify)} áthajtásos vendéglő/étterem
• Japanese: ドライブスルー (ja) (doraibu-surū)
• Korean: 드라이브스루 (deuraibeuseuru)
• Portuguese: drive-thru m
• Russian: драйв-сру́ m (drajv-srú) (colloquial, neologism), драйв-и́н m (drajv-ín), автокафе́ n (avtokafé)
• Spanish: servicarro m, drive in m (Puerto Rico)

See also

• curb service
• drive-by