dinner

noun

din·​ner ˈdi-nər How to pronounce dinner (audio)
often attributive
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
3
: the food prepared for a dinner
eat your dinner
4
: a packaged meal usually for quick preparation
warmed up a frozen dinner
dinnerless 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.

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 Included with dinner is soup, which changes each day and all delicious, plus salad. Felicia Campbell, The Arizona Republic, 12 Mar. 2024 The reward for the promise of our good behavior: chocolate milk with dinner! Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 Chop and add to a pasta sauce for a vegetable-forward update to a classic dinner. Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 11 Mar. 2024 Margot Robbie and other Hollywood stars were all given a chance to party the night before the Oscars, as the 15th annual Chanel and Charles Finch pre-Oscar dinner took place at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 11 Mar. 2024 Additional awards will be handed out at a dinner hosted by Sherri Shepherd on Thursday and at a fashion show hosted by Brandee Evans on Friday. Kimberly Nordyke, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Mar. 2024 There are four bacalhau or salt cod dishes for dinner, plus the seafood stew caldeirada and piri-piri chicken. Laurie Ochoa, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024 The homeowner left at 5 p.m. to have dinner and got a notification his security cameras were offline at 5:05 pm. Kim Komando, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2024 It can be paired with boots or heels and worn everywhere from casual brunches to fancy dinners. Jamie Allison Sanders, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dinner.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near dinner

Cite this Entry

“Dinner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dinner. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dinner

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

More from Merriam-Webster on dinner

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!