continental breakfast

noun

A light breakfast, often as served in a hotel, usually consisting of cereal, juice, and pastries, but without any fried items.

Similar
petit dejeuner
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nouncontinental breakfast (plural continental breakfasts)

plural continental breakfasts

  1. A light breakfast, often as served in a hotel, usually consisting of cereal, juice, and pastries, but without any fried items.

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna breakfast that usually includes a roll and coffee or tea

Similar
petit dejeuner
Broader
breakfast

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Named due to its popularity in continental Europe.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 歐式早餐 /欧式早餐
  • 歐式早餐 /欧式早餐 (Ōushì zǎocān)type of light breakfast
Finnish mannermainen aamiainen
  • mannermainen aamiainentype of light breakfast
Irish bricfeasta mór-roinne, bricfeasta Eorpach
  • bricfeasta mór-roinnetype of light breakfast
  • bricfeasta Eorpachtype of light breakfast
Italian colazione continentale
  • colazione continentaletype of light breakfast
Cite this entry
APA

continental breakfast. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/continental%20breakfast

MLA

“continental breakfast.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/continental%20breakfast. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “continental breakfast,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/continental%20breakfast.

Source: continental breakfast on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.