diner

noun

din·​er ˈdī-nər 

1

: a person who dines (as in a restaurant) or who is dining

2

a

: dining car

b

chiefly US : a typically small, informal, and inexpensive restaurant that has an extensive menu and that is often made from or designed to resemble a modified railroad dining car

had lunch at a roadside diner

Synonyms of diner

• restaurant

Examples of diner in a Sentence

we'll just grab a quick hamburger at the local diner

Recent Examples on the Web

Regina tries to dismiss Louis by saying she’s got to switch the diner to breakfast. — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026

Chef Ángel León serves half the menu outside on a pier so diners can soak in the sunsets and surrounding marshland. — Jamila Robinson, Bon Appetit Magazine, 29 June 2026

The diner has now become a popular tourist destination, with live musical performances by waitstaff. — Noelle Lilley, CBS News, 30 June 2026

Yet by the time the highway’s motels, diners, auto repair shops and gas stations were open to all travelers, Route 66’s downturn had already begun. — Daniel Milowski, The Conversation, 29 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing diner

• diner-out

Rhymes for diner

• finer
• liner
• miner
• minor
• schreiner
• seiner
• shiner
• shriner
• signer
• spinor
• viner
• weiner

Kids Definition

diner

noun

din·​er ˈdī-nər 

1

: one that dines

2

a

: dining car

b

: a restaurant in the shape of a railroad car