dinner

American  

[din-er] / ˈdɪn ər /

noun

1. the main meal of the day, eaten in the evening or at midday.

2. a formal meal in honor of some person or occasion.

3. table d'hôte.

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dinner British  

/ ˈdɪnə /

noun

1. a meal taken in the evening

2. a meal taken at midday, esp when it is the main meal of the day; lunch

3. 1. a formal evening meal, as of a club, society, etc

   2. a public banquet in honour of someone or something

4. a complete meal at a fixed price in a restaurant; table d'hôte

5. (modifier) of, relating to, or used at dinner

   dinner plate

   dinner table

   dinner hour

6. informal (usually passive) to do for, overpower, or outdo

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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

Last year, I changed the Fourth of July menu because the day before I caught a 180-pound bigeye tuna and that was the dinner.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

At dusk they were checked into their rooms, and by dawn’s early light they were gone, only to be replaced at the dinner hour by more recruits.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

"Your heart is blown to pieces but do you still need to eat dinner and go to work so I'm not stylistically chasing silence, just representing the truth of it."

From BBC • Mar. 29, 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

He peered down the long hallway to the kitchen, where he could probably see just the edge of the dinner table.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Related Words

• banquet
• feast
• supper