what is a dormitory

A dormitory, also known as a residence hall or dorm, is a building that provides sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, such as boarding school, high school, college, or university students. It is a large building divided into many rooms where college students live, often with a roommate or two. Dorm rooms are usually small, with just enough room for a couple of beds, a couple of desks, and maybe a few small pieces of furniture. Unlike apartments, most dorm rooms dont have kitchens, and dorm residents usually eat together in a large cafeteria area in the building or another building nearby. College students who live in dorms often become close friends with the other people who live in the rooms close to them, and most dorms have common rooms on each floor where residents can gather together to chat, watch television, or play games. In some countries, a dormitory can also refer to a room containing several beds accommodating unrelated people. In the United Kingdom, the word dormitory means a room containing several beds accommodating unrelated people, and this arrangement exists typically for pupils at a boarding school, travelers, or military personnel, but is almost entirely unknown for university students.