anteroom

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A small room that leads into a larger or more important room, often used as a waiting area.

   Grammar: Countable: one anteroom, two anterooms. Often used with 'in' or 'into': waited in the anteroom.

   Patterns

   • in the anteroom
   • into the anteroom
   • a small anteroom

   Guests waited in the anteroom before being called into the dining hall.

   The doctor's office had a small anteroom where patients filled out forms.

   She paced the anteroom nervously, listening for her name.

2. 2nouncountable

   A room that serves as a passage between a main room and an outer area.

   Grammar: Similar to the first sense, but emphasizes the connecting function rather than waiting.

   Patterns

   • through the anteroom
   • the anteroom to something

   You have to walk through the anteroom to reach the main gallery.

   The anteroom was decorated with portraits of former presidents.

Word forms

Common combinations

wait in the anteroom

We were asked to wait in the anteroom until the meeting ended.

small anteroom

The apartment had a small anteroom that served as a study.

anteroom to the hall

The anteroom to the main hall was filled with flowers.

enter the anteroom

She entered the anteroom and closed the door quietly.

Synonyms and how they differ

antechamber

Means the same but sounds grander and more historical; anteroom is more everyday.

waiting room

Focuses on the function of waiting, not on the position before a larger room; can be used for any waiting area.

vestibule

A small entrance hall, often at the outer door; an anteroom is usually inside and leads to a more important room.

Word family

ante- prefix

Means 'before' or 'in front of', as in anteroom.

Commonly confused: anteroom or antechamber?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “anteroom”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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