1
: a person who dines (as in a restaurant) or who is dining
2
a
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
Examples of diner in a Sentence
we'll just grab a quick hamburger at the local diner
Recent Examples on the Web
Or some diners could choose to place large orders from their favorite restaurants and eat at home.
—
Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 26 Nov. 2025
Yeosu Mayor Jeong Gi-Myoung issued an official apology after the incident and promised to draft new guidelines for restaurants serving solo diners.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 26 Nov. 2025
The diner chain prides itself on staying open 24 hours a day year-round and will be open on Thanksgiving.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
In Bisbee, Travel + Leisure’s Best Small Desert Town of 2024, the steep, colorful streets are filled with galleries and cafés, while the town of Winslow along Route 66 preserves a slice of midcentury Americana, complete with neon signs, diners, and roadside curiosities.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for diner
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Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 26 Nov. 2025
Yeosu Mayor Jeong Gi-Myoung issued an official apology after the incident and promised to draft new guidelines for restaurants serving solo diners.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 26 Nov. 2025
The diner chain prides itself on staying open 24 hours a day year-round and will be open on Thanksgiving.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
In Bisbee, Travel + Leisure’s Best Small Desert Town of 2024, the steep, colorful streets are filled with galleries and cafés, while the town of Winslow along Route 66 preserves a slice of midcentury Americana, complete with neon signs, diners, and roadside curiosities.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for diner
Cite this Entry
“Diner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diner. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
diner
noun
din·er
ˈdī-nər 
1
: one that dines
2
a
b
: a restaurant in the shape of a railroad car
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