Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for tiffin. Search instead for Siffin.
Synonyms

tiffin

1 American  
[tif-in] / ˈtɪf ɪn /

noun

  1. a light midday meal; lunch

verb (used without object)

  1. to eat a light midday meal.

verb (used with object)

  1. to provide a light meal for; serve lunch to.

Tiffin 2 American  
[tif-in] / ˈtɪf ɪn /

noun

  1. a city in N Ohio.

tiffin British  
/ ˈtɪfɪn /

noun

  1. (in India) a light meal, esp one taken at midday

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of tiffin

First recorded in 1800–05; variant of tiffing (unattested), equivalent to tiff (obsolete) “to sip, drink, snack between meals” + -ing 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

One mother told BBC Bengali how she'd given her child money for tiffin instead of packing lunch that morning.

From BBC • Jul. 26, 2025

Rashim, who is fond of thriller TV shows, watches a local Indian serial on his smartphone while his oldest son, a young teenager, shows up with a tiffin, or lunchbox.

From Slate • Aug. 5, 2022

In it, Naik writes about dishes inspired by her global travels — but often anchored in her own South Asian heritage — that are fit to pack into a tiffin, an Indian lunch box.

From Washington Post • Oct. 24, 2021

There are Indian tiffin carriers, ghee pots, woks, a noodle press and falafel molds.

From New York Times • Jul. 7, 2021

His tiffin box with tomato sandwiches and his Eagle flask with an eagle was on the little folding table in front of him.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.