dinner

noun

din·​ner ˈdi-nər How to pronounce dinner (audio)
often attributive
Synonyms of dinnernext
1
a
: the principal meal of the day
having dinner at five o'clock
b
: a formal feast or banquet
held a dinner in her honor
2
: table d'hôte sense 2
3
: the food prepared for a dinner
eat your dinner
4
: a packaged meal usually for quick preparation
warmed up a frozen dinner
dinnerless
ˈdi-nər-ləs How to pronounce dinner (audio)
adjective

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between dinner and supper?

In modern use dinner and supper both usually refer to the main meal of the day eaten in the evening, with dinner being the slightly more formal word. Formerly, dinner typically referred to a main meal eaten in the middle of the day, while supper referred to a light meal eaten in the evening. That meaning of supper is still current in British English and among some speakers of American English.

What time is dinner?

The word dinner typically now refers to the main meal of the day eaten in the evening. In the phrase "Sunday dinner," dinner often refers to a main meal eaten earlier in the day on Sunday.

Why is it called dinner?

The word dinner comes from the Anglo-French (that is, the French spoken in medieval England) word disner, meaning "to dine." It has been in use since the 13th century.

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of dinner in a Sentence

We had many pleasant dinners together. We're planning to ask them to dinner soon. Two hundred people attended his retirement dinner.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Choose from fluid midi skirts, like Tory Burch’s deconstructed option or Ulla Johnson’s perfectly polished A-line style, which can go from the office to a dinner out, in seconds flat. —Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2025 Shapiro and his family were woken up by bangs on the door from the Pennsylvania State Police and had to evacuate their mansion just hours after hosting a Passover dinner. —Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025 The Masters has this amazing tradition where the current champion hosts a dinner for past champions. —Nasha Smith, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025 Merit hosted a dinner during Paris Fashion Week to soft launch the products in the region with an audience of tastemakers in the beauty and fashion industry. —Hikmat Mohammed, Footwear News, 14 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dinner

Word History

Etymology

Middle English diner, from Anglo-French disner, diner meal, from disner to dine

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of dinner was in the 13th century

Phrases Containing dinner

Rhymes for dinner

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Browse Nearby Words

dinna
dinner
dinner cloth
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dinner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dinner. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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Kids Definition

dinner

noun
din·​ner ˈdin-ər How to pronounce dinner (audio)
1
: the main meal of the day
2
: banquet entry 1

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