diner

American  

[dahy-ner] / ˈdaɪ nər /

noun

1. a person who dines.

2. a railroad dining car.

3. a restaurant built like such a car.

4. a small, informal, and usually inexpensive restaurant.

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diner British  

/ ˈdaɪnə /

noun

1. a person eating a meal, esp in a restaurant

2. a small restaurant, often at the roadside

3. a fashionable bar, or a section of one, where food is served

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Etymology

Origin of diner

First recorded in 1800–10; dine + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Located just outside Abadiânia, an agricultural town about 60 miles from Brasília, Route 60 is family diner, truck stop and country store rolled into one.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

On a recent Monday afternoon in a small Mexican diner, not far from the 710 Freeway in East Los Angeles, Gricel Gonzalez, 57, gazed out the window at the avenue.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 21, 2026

It is many things: diner stalwart, weeknight hero, cafeteria punchline.

From Salon • Mar. 11, 2026

But demand for a table explodes during one of the 13 nights when the Yuletide Carolers come around to sing tableside to each diner.

From Salon • Mar. 10, 2026

Will she want a marriage proposal inside a black-and-yellow-checkerboard-decorated diner?

From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper

Related Words

• bistro
• booth
• coffee shop
• saloon