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

And when diners nearby half-turned their heads to check if the foreigner liked it, Chen saw my expression of delight. —Mike Valerio, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2025

Patterson was hired in a guest role as the gruff diner owner with a heart of gold, Luke Danes. —Anika Reed, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025

On Wednesday, McDonald’s said traffic among lower-income diners across the fast-food sector fell by nearly 10% during the most recent quarter, even as the company reported sales growth that topped Wall Street estimates. —Rob Wile, NBC news, 6 Nov. 2025

Cava reported a disappointing quarter late yesterday as casual diners tighten their belts and visit restaurants less frequently. —Jim Cramer, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2025

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
• viner
• weiner
• airliner

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