dine
verb (used without object)
to eat the principal meal of the day; have dinner.
dine
1 American
[dahyn]
/ daɪn /
verb (used without object)
-
dines,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dined,
past participle, past
-
dining
present participle
-
to eat the principal meal of the day; have dinner.
-
to take any meal.
verb (used with object)
-
dines,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dined,
past participle, past
-
dining
present participle
noun
verb phrase
Dine
2
American
[dahyn]
/ daɪn /
noun
Diné
3
American
[dih-nay]
/ dɪˈneɪ /
noun
-
Dinés,
plural
-
Diné
plural
adjective
dine
British
/ daɪn /
verb
-
(intr) to eat dinner
-
(intr; often foll by on, off, or upon) to make one's meal (of)
the guests dined upon roast beef
-
informal (tr) to entertain to dinner (esp in the phrase wine and dine someone )
dine
Idioms
Sensitive Note
The name Diné comes from the Native Athabascan language of the tribe, and it is preferred by many over Navajo, a name assigned by Spanish missionaries. Nevertheless, Navajo and Navaho are still in use and remain acceptable.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
dinesimple
-
dinessimple
-
have dinedperfect
-
has dinedperfect
-
am diningprogressive
-
are diningprogressive
-
is diningprogressive
-
have been diningperfect progressive
-
has been diningperfect progressive
Past
-
dinedsimple
-
had dinedperfect
-
was diningprogressive
-
were diningprogressive
-
had been diningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dine1
1250–1300; Middle English dinen < Anglo-French, Old French di ( s ) ner < Vulgar Latin *disjējūnāre to break one's fast, equivalent to Latin dis- dis- 1 + Late Latin jējūnāre to fast; see jejune
Origin of Diné3
First recorded in 1915–20; a self-designation meaning “The People”; see also Navajo ( def. )
Explanation
To dine is to eat a meal, particularly the last meal of the day. When you invite friends over for dinner, you can ask them if they'd like to dine with you. You can dine at home, or dine at a fancy restaurant — in either case, you're eating dinner. If someone tells you they "dine out on" a funny story, they mean it's endlessly entertaining and buys them a lot of good will and amusement. The verb dine comes from the Old French disner, "to dine" or "to have a meal," from desjunare, "to break one's fast."
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.
See Examples For:
But there's money to be saved on items needed to buy anyway, that's more cash left over for when you do decide to dine out.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
People dine out and buy more takeout when the economy is all right.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
“Top Chef” has changed the way people dine and talk about food and how they see food television.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
She can now dine on her deck with her husband and garden without being "terrorized" by bloodsuckers.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
As for the legendary grue, lurking in the dark, waiting to dine on my flesh—I simply avoided him.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
All would go on to be major names and have their histories enmeshed with that of Pop, though only Dine, Lichtenstein and Warhol are included here.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Dine Brands posted a second-quarter profit of $4.3 million, down from $13.8 million a year earlier, while revenue rose 4% to $240.9 million.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Bloomin’ Brands and Dine Brands Global reported higher first-quarter revenue, aided by value offers and menu updates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
Dine Brands’ stock was up 6%, to $29.84.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
His limbs tingled and tickled, reawakening from the five-hour drive to his paternal grandmother’s mobile home on Dine Homelands, forty-five minutes north of Church Rock.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
While giving back local control was Trump’s stated rationale, tribes in the area, like the Diné, Ute, Hopi, and Zuni, had been working for years to protect the two iconic and culturally significant sites.
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2024
Raven Chacon, a Diné composer and visual artist, won the Pulitzer Prize in Music in 2022.
From New York Times ● May 29, 2024
“We’d seen my dad rodeo and my older brother rodeoed, so we knew we had the foundation,” said Holyan, the rodeo coach at Diné College in Tsaile, Arizona.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 27, 2023
The hubs will draw on work by Marek-Martinez, who col-leads the Southwest hub, following a research methodology used by Navajo—or Diné, as the Navajo call themselves—scholars.
From Science Magazine ● Oct. 25, 2023
Jason relaxed even more, comforted by the knowledge that there was another Diné person nearby.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
He is also a billionaire statesman who dines with President Trump, a father of three and lately a fan of high-end fashion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Every second Saturday of the month, he dines there with a group of about 10 friends.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 26, 2024
Advertising executive Hilda Lee, 30, said she enjoys eating Japanese seafood, and dines at Japanese restaurants two to three times each month.
From Reuters ● Aug. 22, 2023
That’s because this is where the fictional character Emily Cooper, a 20-something American portrayed by Lily Collins, lives, dines and savors French pastries from the local bakery.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 21, 2023
Inside that tank lives a type of bacteria that dines on grass.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
The duo dined together at the White House Sunday for their first face-to-face meeting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
The following evening, May 9, Eatherly and his cameraman dined at Bob’s Steak & Chop House in the Omni Hotel in downtown Nashville, at 250 Rep. John Lewis Way.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
"She always dined out on this story and she always called Paul McCartney Paul McCarty. But she adored The Beatles."
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
Servers in traditional red clothing were seen bustling between colourfully adorned tables, where attendees dined on dishes including Beijing roast duck, pork buns and tiramisu.
From Barron's ● May 14, 2026
And so it was that Colin dined that evening primarily on rice and green beans.
From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green
On the second floor, a large, open room with a 12-foot-high ceiling serves as the communal living, dining and kitchen area.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
“Formal entertaining spaces include a gracious Living Room, dining room, private study, chef’s kitchen with butler’s pantry, family room, and expansive outdoor terraces, while discreet service quarters ensure effortless day-to-day living,” reads the listing.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
In March 2020, as dining rooms shut down, Chuck E. Cheese launched Pasqually’s Pizza & Wings, a delivery-only brand operating out of its existing kitchens.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
Drawings and plans produced at various stages hinted at rooftop gardens, private elevators, deluxe executive dining facilities and enough marble to make an ancient Greek architect blush.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
A little later we were all gathered again around the dining room table.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
