Meaning & use
a soup kitchen
Last updated
UK/ə ˈsuːp ˌkɪtʃɪn/
US/ə ˈsuːp ˌkɪtʃɪn/
Meaning
nouncountable
a place where free hot meals are served to people who are poor or homeless
Grammar: Countable: 'a soup kitchen', 'two soup kitchens'.
Patterns
- run a soup kitchen
- volunteer at a soup kitchen
- go to a soup kitchen
The church runs a soup kitchen every Saturday.
Many families rely on the soup kitchen for hot meals.
She volunteered at a soup kitchen during the holidays.
Word forms
| plural | soup kitchens |
|---|
Common combinations
- run a soup kitchen
- A local charity runs a soup kitchen in the city center.
- volunteer at a soup kitchen
- He volunteers at a soup kitchen on weekends.
- a mobile soup kitchen
- The mobile soup kitchen brings food to people on the streets.
- line up at a soup kitchen
- People lined up at the soup kitchen before it opened.
Synonyms and how they differ
- food bank
- A place where people can get free groceries to take home, not hot meals served on site.
- shelter
- A place providing temporary housing, often with meals, but not primarily a soup kitchen.
Commonly confused: a soup kitchen or soup?
a soup kitchen vs soup
Just the liquid food; a soup kitchen is the place that serves it, usually for free.
Practice
What is a soup kitchen?
Choose one answer.
A soup kitchen is a charitable place that provides free hot meals, usually to homeless or poor people. It is not a commercial restaurant or a private kitchen.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a soup kitchen”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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