picnic

American  

[pik-nik] / ˈpɪk nɪk /

noun

• picnics
  plural

1. an excursion or outing in which the participants carry food with them and share a meal in the open air.

2. the food eaten on such an excursion.

3. Also called picnic ham, picnic shoulder. a section of pork shoulder, usually boned, smoked, and weighing 4–6 pounds.

4. Informal. an enjoyable experience or time, easy task, etc..

   Being laid up in a hospital is no picnic.

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verb (used without object)

• picnics,
  present (3rd person singular)
• picnicked,
  past participle,  past
• picnicking
  present participle

1. to go on or take part in a picnic.

picnic British  

/ ˈpɪknɪk /

noun

1. a trip or excursion to the country, seaside, etc, on which people bring food to be eaten in the open air

2. 1. any informal meal eaten outside

   2. ( as modifier )

      a picnic lunch

3. informal a troublesome situation or experience

4. informal a hard or disagreeable task

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verb

1. (intr) to eat a picnic

picnic Idioms  

1. see no picnic.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• picnicker
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• picnics
  plural

Participles

• picnicking
  present
• picnicked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• picnic
  simple
• picnics
  simple
• have picnicked
  perfect
• has picnicked
  perfect
• am picnicking
  progressive
• are picnicking
  progressive
• is picnicking
  progressive
• have been picnicking
  perfect progressive
• has been picnicking
  perfect progressive

Past

• picnicked
  simple
• had picnicked
  perfect
• was picnicking
  progressive
• were picnicking
  progressive
• had been picnicking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will picnic
  simple
• will have picnicked
  perfect
• will be picnicking
  progressive
• will have been picnicking
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of picnic

1740–50; < German Pic-nic (now Picknick ) < French pique-nique, rhyming compound < ?

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Explanation

A picnic is a meal that you eat outside. For your birthday, you might take a picnic lunch (including celebratory cupcakes) to a nearby beach with some friends. You can use the word picnic for both the occasion — "Let's go on a picnic!" — and for the meal itself: "I am packing the best picnic to take on our hike." It's also a verb, meaning "to eat outside." And when a friend describes a difficult task and adds, "It was no picnic," they mean to emphasize how hard it was — the opposite of an easy, breezy picnic.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

picnic picnics picnicked picnicking

Since there aren’t too many stocks that tick all three boxes, the small number turned out to be frighteningly volatile relative to the market—no picnic itself sometimes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

One event that the chief justice did attend was the annual Hupper Island Independence Day picnic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

The first image from The Other Bennet Sister Christmas special has been revealed, teasing a romantic picnic scene.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

Following the show — billowing shapes, punk-y hair sculptures, all classically Collina — we walked into a whimsical picnic complete with a margarita fountain.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

He wore a gray belted suit and held a large picnic basket with both hands.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

That same year, Rosales moved back to L.A. and began organizing lowrider picnics at Legg Lake in Whittier Narrows Recreation Area in South El Monte.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

To combat the isolation and boredom, troops sometimes do fun activities aboard the ship, like hold singing competitions and picnics on the top deck.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

"Because it's a place for people, for picnics, for livestock to graze," he told AFP, giving only his first name for security reasons.

From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026

Unlike in previous years, when residents could bring coolers and picnics to the mall, guests this year will go through security and are allowed to bring only one small clear bag.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026

Crow’s Head Valley was not exactly a place for picnics.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

Olivia Rodrigo picnicked in the park with one.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

Young women and men picnicked side by side on the pavement, chanting: “Woman! Life! Freedom!”

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 27, 2022

Streets of identical high-rise apartments were interspersed with parks and wide, tree-lined streets, while residents picnicked beside the Siverskyi Donets river and in forests nearby.

From Reuters ● May 30, 2022

Families picnicked and took dips in the chilly water.

From New York Times ● Feb. 8, 2022

COLIC: colicky frolic: frolicked, frolicker, frolicking GARLIC: garlicky mimic: mimicked, mimicking panic: panicked, panicking, panicky picnic: picnicked, picnicker, picnicking POLITICS: politicker, politicking traffic: trafficked, trafficker, trafficking playwright.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

A fisherman packed up his rods next to a family picnicking on the waterfront.

From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026

At first, these trolley parks were simply gardens and picnicking grounds, but in time other attractions and rides like roller coasters and Ferris wheels were added.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

These candies are a great option for those who want to enjoy something light and fruity while picnicking.

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2025

Jordanna Vallance and Fran Addis, both from Harrogate, are picnicking in the sun and plan to return each year to photograph their babies in the blossom.

From BBC ● May 1, 2025

“We’re playing soccer, Inés, not picnicking with our sweethearts,” Papi says.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

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Related Words

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