kiosk

K5I1O1S1K5
UK/ˈkiːˌɒsk/US/ˈkiˌɑsk/

noun

A small enclosed structure, often freestanding, open on one side or with a window, used as a booth to sell newspapers, cigarettes, etc.

Similar
boothcubiclestall
OriginFrench kiosque ← Italian chiosco ← Ottoman Turkish كوشك (köşk) →
Less commonScrabble 13
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounkiosk (plural kiosks)

plural kiosks · alternative archaic kiosque

  1. A small enclosed structure, often freestanding, open on one side or with a window, used as a booth to sell newspapers, cigarettes, etc.

    I remember that one time I went to the kiosk next door to buy condoms, it was raining, she appeared.

    2021, Pedro Mairal, The Woman from Uruguay, Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN, page 143
  2. A similar but unattended stand for the automatic dispensing of tickets, etc; an e-kiosk.
    1 more example

    Not only has the infamous upgrade gone by the wayside, but cashiers at fast-food restaurants are becoming increasingly uncommon. McDonald's started rolling out ordering kiosks at its US locations in 2015, and the chain hasn't looked back since: by 2020, most of its 14,000 locations will have kiosks installed.

    2018 July 26, Hollis Johnson, “We tried the kiosks that analysts say could help McDonald's win back $2.7 billion in sales. Here's the verdict.”, in Business Insider
  3. A public telephone booth.

    "'Course I do. I was in the yard office before I came on here. And you don't need a number for police; you—" "That's all right, lad. Slip down into the High Street as quick as you can cut and put that through from the nearest kiosk. Here's a couple of pennies—"

    1934, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], The Bravo of London
  4. A Turkish garden pavilion.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounsmall area set off by walls for special use

Similar
boothcubiclestall
Broader
closet
Also see
boothcubiclestall

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Middle Persiankwšk' (kōšk)
  2. Classical Persianکوشْک (kōšk)
  3. Ottoman Turkishكوشك (köşk)
  4. Italianchiosco
  5. Frenchkiosque
  6. Englishkiosk

Earlier kiosque, from French kiosque, from Italian chiosco, from Ottoman Turkish كوشك (köşk), from Classical Persian کوشْک (kōšk, “palace, portico”), from Middle Persian kwšk' (kōšk).

More words from French, Italian, Ottoman Turkish

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic كُشْك
  • كُشْك (kušk)enclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
Bulgarian бу́дка, павилио́н
  • бу́дка (búdka)enclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • павилио́н (pavilión)Turkish garden pavillion
Catalan quiosc, taquilla automàtica
  • quioscenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • taquilla automàticaunattended stand
  • pavellóTurkish garden pavillion
Chinese Mandarin 商亭, 亭
  • 商亭 (shāngtíng)enclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • 亭 (tíng)enclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • 亭子 (tíngzi)enclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • 便亭 (biàntíng)enclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • 售貨亭 /售货亭 (shòuhuòtíng)enclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • 攤亭 /摊亭 (tāntíng)enclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • 小賣店 /小卖店 (xiǎomàidiàn)enclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • 涼亭 /凉亭 (liángtíng)Turkish garden pavillion
Czech stánek, kiosek
  • stánekenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • kiosekenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • automatunattended stand
Danish kiosk, automat
  • kioskenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • automatunattended stand
Dutch kiosk
  • kioskenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
Esperanto budo, kiosko
  • budoenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • kioskoenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • aŭtomatounattended stand
  • aŭtomata kioskounattended stand
  • pavilonoTurkish garden pavillion
  • kioskoTurkish garden pavillion
Estonian kiosk
  • kioskenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
Finnish kioski, automaatti
  • kioskienclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • automaattiunattended stand
French kiosque
  • kiosqueenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
German Kiosk, Büdchen
  • Kioskenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • Büdchenenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
Greek περίπτερο, κιόσκι
  • περίπτερο (períptero)enclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • κιόσκι (kióski)Turkish garden pavillion
Hebrew קִיּוֹסְק
  • קִיּוֹסְק (kiósk)enclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
Hindi गुमटी, खोखा
  • गुमटी (gumṭī)enclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • खोखा (khokhā)enclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
Hungarian kioszk, automata
  • kioszkenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • automataunattended stand
  • kioszkunattended stand
  • kioszkTurkish garden pavillion
Icelandic skáli, söluskáli
  • skálienclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • söluskálienclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • söluturnenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • sjoppaenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
Italian chiosco
  • chioscoenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
Japanese キオスク, 売店
  • キオスク (kiosuku)enclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • 売店 (baiten)enclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • キオスク (kiosuku)unattended stand
Korean 매점, 가판대
  • 매점 (maejeom)enclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • 가판대 (gapandae)enclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • 판매점 (panmaejeom)enclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • 키오스크 (kioseukeu)unattended stand
Latvian kiosks
  • kiosksenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
Lithuanian kioskas
  • kioskasenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
Malay kiosk, kios
  • kioskenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • kiosenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
Māori wharau, wharau hoko
  • wharauenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • wharau hokoenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
Norwegian Bokmål kiosk, automat
  • kioskenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • automatunattended stand
  • kioskTurkish garden pavillion
  • hagepaviljongTurkish garden pavillion
Persian کوشک
  • کوشک (kôšk)Turkish garden pavillion
Polish kiosk, automat
  • kioskenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • automatunattended stand
Portuguese quiosque, banca
  • quiosqueenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • bancaenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • quiosque interativounattended stand
  • totemunattended stand
Romanian chioșc
  • chioșcenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
Russian кио́ск, ларёк
  • кио́ск (kiósk)enclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • ларёк (larjók)enclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • бу́дка (búdka)enclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • автома́т (avtomát)unattended stand
  • кио́ск (kiósk)unattended stand
  • бесе́дка (besédka)Turkish garden pavillion
Slovak kiosk
  • kioskenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
Spanish quiosco, kiosco
  • quioscoenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • kioscoenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • estanquilloenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • quioscounattended stand
Swedish kiosk, automat
  • kioskenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • automatunattended stand
Turkish kiosk, köşk
  • kioskenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • köşkTurkish garden pavillion
Ukrainian кіо́ск
  • кіо́ск (kiósk)enclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
Urdu گُمْٹی, کھوکھا
  • گُمْٹی (gumṭī)enclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • کھوکھا (khokhā)enclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
Vietnamese gian hàng, quán
  • gian hàngenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • quánenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
  • ki-ốtenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold
Welsh ciosg
  • ciosgenclosed structure where cigarettes, magazines, etc are sold

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Kosik
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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