to eat the principal meal of the day; have dinner.
to take any meal.
(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 )
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.
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
First recorded in 1915–20; a self-designation meaning “The People”; see also Navajo ( def. )
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."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For McClarnon, learning more about Diné — or Navajo — culture has been one of the rewarding aspects of being on “Dark Winds.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2025
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
Jason forced a smile and continued to the Diné Elder by the awning.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
