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:
She can now dine on her deck with her husband and garden without being "terrorized" by bloodsuckers.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 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
They know that you don’t need more than a blanket—and good food—to dine outside, but that a few carefully selected supplies can make a picnic an occasion that rivals any dinner party.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
It was only after quarantine, as I was able to dine outside in Manhattan again with real people, when I realized I had lost the plot.
From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2026
No one knows exactly what happened, but some person at Skyland presumably watched them dine, then followed them back to their campsite.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
Dine in the historic Great Hall, participate in timely expert-led breakouts and connect with global decision makers in one of the world’s most iconic academic settings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 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
Bloomin’ Brands and Dine Brands Global both reported higher revenue in the first quarter, as value offers, menu updates and turnaround efforts helped to offset still-elevated costs and cautious consumer spending.
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
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
Raven Chacon, a Diné composer and visual artist, won the Pulitzer Prize in Music in 2022.
From New York Times ● May 29, 2024
I did a road trip Arizona through Diné, actually, territory, and Navajo in August.
From Salon ● Apr. 18, 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
Like many towns in the Four Corners region, Bluff has a workforce that is almost entirely Diné, or Navajo.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2023
His heart began to heal when he heard her say that she loved him and called him “grandson” in Diné.
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
My cooking style is inspired by passion and emotion; I want everyone who dines at Botanist to feel an emotional connection to what they’re eating and where the local ingredients were sourced.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2023
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
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
She rushed to it and threw open the latches, then the lid. dines into a vehicle built for three.
From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs
That May, he dined with 220 of its largest holders, some of whom bought up the coin expressly to secure invitations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 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
They dined outdoors on the island, the commerce secretary said, and never went inside.
From BBC ● May 14, 2026
“Do you want to be adventure buddies?” he asked while we dined at the hotel bar.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026
They dined with the group, staying always at the rear of the line, always slightly apart.
From "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" by E.L. Konigsburg
A group of people were gathered around a large dining table beneath a massive chandelier of antler, a tableau that evoked some kind of Viking summit.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
Since her dining hall days, Monroe now makes one Trader Joe’s trip per week, which usually comes out to about $45.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
The best part: Instead of chain-hotel dining, I had pizza and gelato on the promenade for dinner, sunset drinks at a rooftop bar and ran along the water the next morning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Oslo, for instance, is known for being pricey, partly because many goods are imported, which drives up the cost of groceries and dining out.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
I left Katrien in the dining room, wheeled my bicycle down the stairs, and bumped as fast as I could the mile and a half to Nollie’s.
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.
