dinner
Americannoun
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the main meal of the day, eaten in the evening or at midday.
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a formal meal in honor of some person or occasion.
noun
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a meal taken in the evening
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a meal taken at midday, esp when it is the main meal of the day; lunch
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a formal evening meal, as of a club, society, etc
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a public banquet in honour of someone or something
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a complete meal at a fixed price in a restaurant; table d'hôte
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(modifier) of, relating to, or used at dinner
dinner plate
dinner table
dinner hour
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informal (usually passive) to do for, overpower, or outdo
Other Word Forms
- dinnerless adjective
- predinner noun
Etymology
Origin of dinner
1250–1300; Middle English diner < Old French disner (noun use of v.); dine
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.
One night over dinner, I admitted to my husband that I felt stalled.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
After making a dinner one night, the ring asked whether I’d been on the elliptical.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026
He was also looking forward to Rory McIlroy's champion's dinner on the Tuesday night.
From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026
Barr, speaking at a Brookings Institution dinner, called Kevin Warsh, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the central bank, “well qualified” and said he “knows the terrain.”
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
Glenn was bringing his noon dinner and his breakfast too in a Karo syrup pail now.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
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.
