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Anteroom

/ˈæn.tiˌruːm/

nounB2

Definition

An anteroom is a smaller room that comes before a main room. People often use it to wait or prepare before entering the main space. It can be found in places like offices, hospitals, or large houses.

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⚡ See It in Action

A small room before a larger room used as a waiting area

  • •The guests waited in the anteroom before the meeting started.
  • •She left her coat in the anteroom and entered the conference room.
  • •The doctor’s office has an anteroom where patients sit before their appointment.

🧲 Make It Stick

  • ✓Think of "anteroom" like "room," but a smaller one that comes first, like a "waiting room" before the main room
  • ✓Picture a small hallway or room with chairs where visitors wait before going into a big office or meeting room
  • ✓It's the feeling of waiting quietly in a small space before an important event or meeting
  • ✓Sounds like "ANT-ee-room" → imagine a tiny ant standing in a small room before entering a big hall
  • ✓Think of movie scenes where characters wait in a small room before meeting a king or important person
  • ✓NOT like "main room" (the big important space), an anteroom is smaller and less important
  • ✓NOT like "hallway" (a long passage), an anteroom is a full small room, often with furniture
  • ✓NOT like "waiting room" (used for patients or visitors), but an anteroom can be more formal and part of a building’s design

🔄 Try Other Words

  • •Vestibule: small entrance room or hall (Use when the room is at the building’s entrance)
  • •Lobby: larger open area near the entrance (Use when the space is bigger and more public)
  • •Foyer: entrance hall or open area before the main room (Use in houses or theaters)
  • •Waiting room: place to wait (Use in general, less formal places)

🔍 Unboxing

  • •Word parts: "ante-" (before) + "room" (a space in a building)
  • •Etymology: From Latin "ante" meaning "before" + English "room"
  • •Historical development: Used in English since the 1600s to describe a room before another important room
  • •Modern usage: Used mainly in formal or official buildings to describe a small room before a main room, often for waiting

💭 Reflect & Connect

•How does an anteroom change the experience of entering an important place or meeting?
•Can you think of places you have been where an anteroom helped prepare you for what comes next?

Fill in the blanks with the correct word:

1.Visitors waited in the anteroom ___ the meeting room was ready for them.
2.The anteroom is usually smaller and less ___ than the main room.
3.People often use the anteroom to ___ before entering the main area.
4.Unlike a hallway, an anteroom is a ___ space with furniture or chairs.
5.The anteroom is called that because it comes ___ the main room.
6.In some offices, the anteroom serves as a ___ area for guests.
7.When the doctor called her name, she left the anteroom and went ___ the examination room.