bento

ben·to
B3E1N1T1O1
UK/ˈbɛntəʊ/US/ˈbɛnˌtoʊ/

noun

A Japanese takeaway lunch served in a box, often with the food arranged into an elaborate design.

Similar
bento box
UncommonScrabble 7
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Meanings

nounbento (plural bento or bentos)

plural bentos · alternative bentō

  1. alsoattributiveA Japanese takeaway lunch served in a box, often with the food arranged into an elaborate design.

    Synonyms: bento box

  2. Synonym of bento box (“a partitioned, traditionally lacquered, lunchbox in which a Japanese takeaway lunch is served”).

    Synonyms: bento box

  3. SingaporebroadlyA generic meal packed in a disposable bento box.

    Typical Singaporean lunch bento wolved down in 5 minutes

    2020, Chan Joon Yee, Not Quite Over The Hill: Swinging My Way to 60 and Beyond, Dewdrop Books
  4. computingA menu icon of nine squares in a grid.
  5. computingA layout consisting of cards arranged in a modular, irregularly partitioned grid.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA Japanese takeaway lunch served in a box, often with the food arranged into an elaborate design.

Similar
bento box

nounSynonym of bento box (“a partitioned, traditionally lacquered, lunchbox in which a Japanese takeaway lunch is served”).

Similar
bento box
Also see
bento box

Origin

Borrowed from Japanese 弁(べん)当(とう) (bentō). Doublet of biandang.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic بِنْتُو, بِنْتُو
  • بِنْتُو (bintū)Japanese takeaway lunch served in a box
  • بِنْتُو (bentō)Japanese takeaway lunch served in a box
Chinese Cantonese 飯盒 /饭盒
  • 飯盒 /饭盒Japanese takeaway lunch served in a box
Chinese Mandarin 便當 /便当, 飯盒 /饭盒
  • 便當 /便当 (biàndang)Japanese takeaway lunch served in a box
  • 飯盒 /饭盒 (fànhé)Japanese takeaway lunch served in a box
  • 盒飯 /盒饭 (héfàn)Japanese takeaway lunch served in a box
Hindi बेन्तो, बेंतो
  • बेन्तो (bento)Japanese takeaway lunch served in a box
  • बेंतो (bento)Japanese takeaway lunch served in a box
Indonesian bento
  • bentoJapanese takeaway lunch served in a box
Japanese 弁当, お弁当
  • 弁当 (bentō)Japanese takeaway lunch served in a box
  • お弁当 (o-bentō)Japanese takeaway lunch served in a box
Korean 벤토
  • 벤토 (bento)Japanese takeaway lunch served in a box
Persian بنتو
  • بنتو (bentô)Japanese takeaway lunch served in a box
Polish bentō
  • bentōJapanese takeaway lunch served in a box
Portuguese bentô
  • bentôJapanese takeaway lunch served in a box
Russian бэнто́, бенто́
  • бэнто́ (bɛntó)Japanese takeaway lunch served in a box
  • бенто́ (bɛntó)Japanese takeaway lunch served in a box
Thai เบ็นโต
  • เบ็นโต (ben-dtoo)Japanese takeaway lunch served in a box
Vietnamese cơm hộp, bento
  • cơm hộpJapanese takeaway lunch served in a box
  • bentoJapanese takeaway lunch served in a box

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with bento

SacramentoSorrentomementodivertimentolentomentodento-pentimento
All rhymes →

Anagrams

BonetBoten
Cite this entry
APA

bento. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bento

MLA

“bento.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bento. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bento,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bento.

Source: bento on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.