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-ney]
/ 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:
“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
Including takeout, that total would be $203,784, even though 43% of Americans say they spend $20 or less per person when they dine out.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
He offered the top several hundred investors in Trumpcoin the opportunity to dine with him at his Virginia golf club.
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2026
From here on out, it’s the knockout rounds, do-or-die, win for national glory, or go to the airport and dine on our $8 cheese sticks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
When the king came to Gertrude’s chamber to dine, I was given the honor of attending them.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
At Dine Brands, the parent company of Applebee’s and IHOP, value is built partly on product novelty and social shareability.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Dine Brands Global’s Applebee’s same-restaurant sales rose 1.9%, and the company plans 80 domestic dual-branded restaurants by year-end.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
Dine Brands also reported higher revenue, with Chief Executive John Peyton saying the company continues to benefit from its focus on value offerings, culturally relevant marketing and disciplined execution.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
Dine Brands Global swung to a loss in the fourth quarter, dragged down by an impairment charge, as revenue climbed higher.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 25, 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
Ch’eelil Peter, 17, who is Gwich’in and Diné and lives in Arctic Village south of ANWR, is a party to a lawsuit seeking to shut down the natural gas pipeline once and for all.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2024
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
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
Thomacita’s workstation had reclosable plastic bags filled with Diné delicacies like ground white corn, blue corn, dééh, and chii.chin.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
A test for Mr. Pelley will be whether he dines out for the rest of his life on the, um, puffed-up version of his firing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
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
He frequently dines at a lot of Michelin places and he knows exactly what he's talking about.
From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2023
One dines at the River’s Edge Clubhouse where the food was top-notch, and follows meals with walks on the cobblestone paths around the property.
From Seattle Times ● May 25, 2023
Inside that tank lives a type of bacteria that dines on grass.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
Bezos and Sánchez have dined with the president and the first lady at Mar-a-Lago, and they attended the inauguration alongside other prominent technology CEOs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
The night before a brutal semifinal, Mussolini reportedly dined with the Swedish referee—who went on to officiate the final too.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
He entertained, wined and dined, and flew people around for vacations at his various properties.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
“Do you want to be adventure buddies?” he asked while we dined at the hotel bar.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026
The Burnhams dined by themselves in the Olympic's first-class salon, then retired to their suite and there, for no particular reason, Burnham’s thoughts returned to Frank Millet.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
At lunchtime, the prisoners in navy overalls file into the dining hall with heads bowed and hands clasped behind their backs.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
“A lot of fine dining restaurants are not investing in pastry programs right now, and for those that do, it’s a unique selling point,” Estrada-Londo said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
She also worked with costume designer Jennifer L. Bryan and others to turn the dining room into a swinging 1960s poker lounge reminiscent of a classic James Bond film.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
The dwelling boasts several dining areas, which come complete with stylish fireplaces and large windows that allow natural light to flood in.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
On the ground floor of the boardinghouse the parlor and dining room are empty—the boarders with jobs have left for the day.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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.
