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

Even when two of them are just seated in the booth of a diner, what passes between them is suggested by looks, gestures, and our ability to read the situation. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 July 2026

To achieve this, the brand is teaming up with Lee of the Bite of Korea to introduce diners to Korean culture through food. — Sam Flemming, AJC.com, 15 July 2026

This is true for gluten-free diners as well, who can order off a physical gluten-free menu that happily includes most of the Pot’s hits. — Luke Pyenson, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 July 2026

With guest demand still strong, the restaurant is hoping to give diners a little bit of certainty to their meals. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 13 July 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