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
Josephine Pinckney
b
: an easy task or feat
3
: a shoulder of pork with much of the butt removed
picnicked; picnicking
: to go on a picnic : eat in picnic fashion
picnicker
noun
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
Jessie Beck, AFAR Media, 16 Sep. 2025
Rental companies provide maps and basic instructions, then let passengers set off at their own pace, picnic baskets in hand.
—David Nikel, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Ian Proctor, Travel + Leisure, 6 Sep. 2025
The northeast side of Geauga Lake is first called Picnic Lake or Giles Pond, a place where visitors camped, went fishing or picnicked.
—Chad Murphy, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for picnic
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Some like to get to the airport very early, with time for a full picnic, while others are dashing in at the last minute while downing a protein bar.
—Jessie Beck, AFAR Media, 16 Sep. 2025
Rental companies provide maps and basic instructions, then let passengers set off at their own pace, picnic baskets in hand.
—David Nikel, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
Days are spent fishing, snorkeling, and picnicking on deserted Indian Ocean islands, while nights are spent sleeping under the stars.
—Ian Proctor, Travel + Leisure, 6 Sep. 2025
The northeast side of Geauga Lake is first called Picnic Lake or Giles Pond, a place where visitors camped, went fishing or picnicked.
—Chad Murphy, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for picnic
Cite this Entry
“Picnic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/picnic. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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