picnic

1 of 2

noun

pic·​nic ˈpik-(ˌ)nik 

often attributive

1

: an excursion or outing with food usually provided by members of the group and eaten in the open

also : the food provided for a picnic

2

a

: a pleasant or amusingly carefree experience

I don't expect being married to be a picnic

—Josephine Pinckney

b

: an easy task or feat

3

: a shoulder of pork with much of the butt removed

picnicky

ˈpik-(ˌ)ni-kē 

adjective

picnic

2 of 2

verb

picnicked; picnicking

intransitive verb

: to go on a picnic : eat in picnic fashion

picnicker noun

Synonyms of picnic

Noun

• bed of roses
• paradise
• rest
• utopia
• fun and games
• the lap of luxury
• life of Riley

Examples of picnic in a Sentence

Noun

We decided to have a picnic on the beach.

We ate our picnic by the lake.

The annual school picnic is this weekend.

This winter is a picnic compared with last year's.

Verb

We picnicked in the park.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

For those arriving by water, the marina offers 19 boat slips with water, electricity, and sewage pump-out, along with full access to all park amenities, including barbecue grills and picnic areas. —Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 7 Dec. 2025

Realizing the magnitude of the event, Walters called the social secretary to cancel the picnic. —Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 7 Dec. 2025

Verb

Stays at River Bluff Farm start with farm-fresh breakfasts and often involve floating down the river, picnicking atop the bluff, or basking in golden-hour views from the expansive deck. —Hayley Hutson, Travel + Leisure, 24 Nov. 2025

Couples picnicked in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. —Danielle Postel-Vinay, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

German or French; German Picknick, from French pique-nique

First Known Use

Noun

1826, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1815, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing picnic

• picnic table

Rhymes for picnic

• broomstick
• dipstick
• homesick
• joystick
• lipstick
• nonstick
• pickwick
• redbrick
• seasick
• sidekick
• slapstick
• toothpick

Kids Definition

picnic

1 of 2 noun

pic·​nic ˈpik-(ˌ)nik 

1

: a meal eaten outdoors often during a trip away from home

2

a

: a pleasant or carefree experience

breaking a leg is no picnic

b

: an easy task

3

: a shoulder of pork that is often smoked and boned

picnicky adjective

picnic

2 of 2 verb

picnicked; picnicking

: to go on a picnic : eat as if on a picnic

picnicker noun